The Last Days Of Spring Break
by ThePeachyReader
Summary: It's spring break and Hinamori Momo and Matsumoto Rangiku, two friends who love to pair characters from their favorite show, decide to live with each other when university is just around the corner. With the help of the blonde beauty, Hinamori accepts the job from a man whose son her other friends claim she 'hates'. Hinamori? Hate? Impossible!...Right?
1. Chapter 1: Day 1 Part 1

**Author's note: Hello! Umm... This my first time ever writing a story so... My apologies if it's bad and I'm sorry for any grammar/spelling errors. If you find any mistakes, it'd be nice if you could point it out for me. Ah, umm, I am also sorry for the characters being out of characters. I should also let you know that I've already finished this story, so I should be able to publish all the chapters pretty quickly.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did I'd kill off a certain Quincy that has the power to control Zombies in the most gruesome and violent way possible.**

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**Chapter 1 Day 1 Part 1**

Heavy panting could be heard troughout the apartment. In the living room lay two exhausted idividuals on the soft, fluffy carpet, both coverd in sweat. The younger of the two looked at her friend with tired eyes while trying to get her breathing under control. "I'm beat and, ughh, sticky. Are you going to take a shower first or...?", she asked the blonde.

"Mmm... Why won't we take a shower together?", she asked back with a smile, which made the other roll her eyes.

"Just because we're going to live with each other doesn't mean we have to see each other naked, you know. Besides, I like my privacy." She sat up stretching her arms, her eyes never leaving her friend.

"Oh please, it's because we're gonna live together we should see each other naked! It would make us even closer for sure." This time the older girl also sat up and winked at her new roommate only to get a pillow thrown at her face.

The busty girl put on her best hurt expression and said, "What was that for? All I just want to strenghten our relationship and what do I get? An pillow to the face! I have a feeling our relationship is one-sided, on my part that is."

"Now I'm deeply hurt Rangiku-san. Didn't you pay any attention? It wasn't just any pillow, but a fluffy one. You know my love for fluffy things. I basically threw my love at you! If anything, it is me whose feelings are clearly not reciprocated.", the raven-haired girl wiped off her non-existent tairs.

Blue eyes widened in shock as the blonde put her right hand on her chest. Yes, she was moved beyond words (or at least, she acted like she was).

"Hinamori... I- I had no idea. So all this time when you attacked me with fluffy items, you were expressing your love for me?"

"You just found out? Oh Rangiku-san, whatever shall I do with you." Hinamori let out a little sigh while shaking her head. When their eyes met, they both started laughing about their little act. Their laughter didn't last very long though, as they both stopped when a knocking could be heard from the hallway. Which was weird since they had a perfectly working doorbell. Oh well.

"Must be our friends. I'll open the door." Hinamori stood up, a bit reluctant since she really loved sitting on the fluffy carpet. Another sigh escaped her mouth as she walked through the apartment.

A smile spread across her face when she opened the door. The visitors being none other then her friends from high school.

"Abarai-kun, Rukia-san! What a pleassant surprise! Please, come inside! " the girl exclaimed delighted. She practically forced the two inside and closed the door immediately afterwards.

"What do you mean by 'surprise'? I thought you knew we were coming", the pineapple told her confused. "And why are you so sweaty?"

"I know, I know, but I've been wanting to say that line for a while now. Trying to be a good host and all... As for my sweaty appearance, Rangiku-san and I have been moving our stuff from our houses to this place all morning and... are those flowers?" She pointed at the bouquet of flowers Rukia was holding.

"Yeah, as a house-warming gift. Do you like it?" Hinamori took the flowers from her and smiled at her friends. Yes, she was truly grateful for meeting people like them. It was only last Friday when they all graduated from high school and now they were going to university, fortunately they were all going to the same university so the chances of seeing each other was quite plausible. She remembered how they all met in middle school and became friends and the pranks they pulled together. Years sure flew by quickely and this thought made Hinamori rather emotional.

"Thank you guys, I really appr-''

"IS THAT SAKE THAT I SMELL?!"

Well that pretty much destroyed the mood. They all got distracted when they saw a very determined Matsumoto running towards them. A very, very determined Matsumoto. Determined to find the alcohololic drink, because a Matsumoto with sake equals a happy Matsumoto with sake.

"Not now Matsumoto-san, it's for after we're done with helping you two", Rukia explained as she looked around only to see big, heavy cardboard boxes scattered all over the place. Right, that was the reason they came here after all. To help them move their stuff to their place, because that's what friends are for. Helping you unpack until sunset and drink some sake as a reward from all the hard work.

To be honest, the only people who were actually drinking were Abarai and Matsumoto. Needless to say they got drunk pretty fast, as expected, not that it bothered anyone. Hinamori Momo and Kuchiki Rukia refused the sake, because they only drink alchoholic drinks on special occasions... That and the short girls also enjoy being sober. ''Really, I can't thank you two enough for helping us out. We owe you one'', Hinamori gratefully told her friends.

''Your welcome. Besides that's what friends are for, right?'', Rukia replied wiping of some of her sweat off her forehead. Ah friendship, such a nice thing to have. It's because of that that they've been spending hours unpacking stuff and moving the furniture. Trying to fit all of Matsumoto's clothes inside her wardrobe... which strangely enough took more time than all the other activities. When they all thought they were done and closed the closet it burst open. As a result, Rukia got pretty much burried alive from the huge amount of clothes. Rukia frowned as she recalled the incident, ''One the other hand, yeah you totally owe me one.''

''Yeah, yeah. Come to think of it, all this talk about friendship reminds me of something... Wasn't Kira-kun also supposed to come?'' The blonde male that she was speaking off promised that he would also help her with moving. With him, their little circle of friends would be complete so Hinamori was a little dissapointed that he didn't show up.

''Oh, he told me that he couldn't make it, 'cause he had to visit his family. His parents planned a surprise party for his cousin. Turned out that nobody told Kira about it, so he told me to tell you. I know, I forgot to inform you about it earlier, but now you know.'', Abarai butted in, deciding he also wanted to be part of their coversation since well.., he didn't like to be left out and Matsumoto apparentely fell asleep.

''So I guess he got a surprise himself, huh?'' Rukia was somewhat amused as she imagined Kira's expression when his parents told him the news. Oh, and also the forgetfulness of her childhood friend. Silly Renji. Her amusement was gone when she saw the sad look on Hinamori's face. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder getting, her attention. ''Don't worry about Kira-san, it's vacation now, isn't it? That means we've got plenty of time to spend together before going to university.''

Hinamori looked at her friend, a smile now evident on her face. Rukia always knew how to cheer people up and she was right too. Though she wasn't sure about the plenty of time part, seeing that they only have one week vacation. She gave a nod, ''Thanks, Rukia-san. You reall-''

''HINAMORI!''

She got interrupted. By Matsumoto. Again. She turned around to look at her now awoken friend. ''Rangiku-san? How is your head feeling? Do you need some water?'' She knew how drunk Matsumoto could get, so she was pretty used with dealing with her hangovers.

''No thanks and gosh, stop worrying about me already. Now, where was I? Ah, yes, umm... Hinamori, I invited a friend over today. You don't mind, do you? Of course you don't..., right? Right.'', she utterd the words in a sluggish manner.

''Rangiku-san, calm down. We're living together from now on, it makes sense if you want to invite some of your other friends over. I'm sure whoever it is, we'll get along juuuuust fi-''

''It's Hitsugaya Toushiro.''

''-ne... I see.'' Hinamori replied dryly giving a blank expression and soon they all fell in silence. Abarai and Rukia stared at the blonde incredulously, still processing the fact that she invited that boy over. Then they switched to the younger girl only to find a completely calm Hinamori. The ambiance changed from good to an uneasy one, a bit too quickly for their liking.

''Matsumoto-san, you do realise that erm.. maybe someone, I won't say any names, in this room isn't too keen on Hitsugaya-san.'', Rukia said as carefully as she could. Matsumoto just rolled her eyes.

''You don't have to beat about the bush. I am very well aware what and whom you're talking about.'', Matsumoto replied to the petite girl.

''Good. I'm glad you underst-''

''But keep your hatred towards Hitsugaya-kun to yourself, alright? I mean, look at Hinamori! She seems totally fine having him here. What I'm saying is that you, Rukia, should take her example.'', she huffed looking away from the violet eyes that widened as she spoke.

An annoyed Abarai face-palmed. ''She meant that Hinamori was the one who hated him, not her!'' Don't get him wrong, he treasured his friends, including Matsumoto. But sometimes she was just so clueless, even more than him sometimes and that itself says a lot. To be frank, their whole circle of friends consisted of clueless people.

''Hinamori doesn't hate him! Right, Hinamori? Tell him. Now. Do it. He needs to know the truth that only you can provide. Provide him. The truth that is.'', Matsumoto commanded her. The raven-haired girl just stared at her for a few seconds and then turned to Abarai and Rukia. She smiled sweetly at them.

''She's right Abarai-kun. I don't hate him. I don't hate anyone for that matt-''

''SEE! SEE! I TOLD YOU SHE DOESN'T HIM! '', the blonde yelled triumphantly, ignoring the frustrated look Hinamori gave her. One more interruption and she would flip out, she was sure of it.

''Why does everyone always seem to think otherwise?'', she asked her friends. Her attention was caught by Abarai who gave small cough. ''Abarai-kun?''

''Well..., you did try to kick his 'special place' once. Luckily Kira and me were there to stop you on time.'' he explained.

''Oh that? That happend such a long ago! I'm sure nobody remembers anymore.'', she replied.

''That was last Friday, Hinamori. On the day we graduated. It's highly likely he still remembers.'', Rukia told her skeptically.

''I was doing society a favor!'' she retorted.

''How is kicking a man between the legs a favor to society?!'' He didn't mean to yell, but he was getting frustrated at her stubborness.

''I was trying to prevent him from reproducing. The last thing this world needs is another generation of smug, cocky jerks. See? A favor. To the world. Because I care.'', she crossed her arms. ''There. I don't hate Hitsugaya freakin' Toushiro.'' The only response she got was a bunch of stares. ''What? Why so quiet of all the sudden?''

Abarai scratched his head looking at her than to Rukia and Matsumoto and than back at Hinamori. ''You're right, you don't hate him.'', he admitted receiving a very statisfied smile from the girl. ''You loathe him.'', and so her smile disappeared.

''That's even worse!'', she yelled exasperated. That's was it. She gave up on convincing her friends that she didn't hate the annoy- I mean, the young man also known as Hitsugaya Toushiro.

''Yeah Abarai, don't talk about my OTP like that!'', Matsumoto said angerily. Hinamori raised an eyebrow in suspicion when she heard that word.

''Rangiku-san, don't tell me th-''

''ZOOOOOOM'', and so the doorbell rang.

_'Freaking interuptions!'_, what was it this specific day that wouldn't allow her to complete her sentences without any hindrances?

''Well, I'm going home. See ya, Hinamori.'', a male voice brought her out of her thoughts. She turned to the direction it came from.

''Yeah, me too. Bye, Hinamori.'', Rukia stood up next to Abarai waving a goodbye. ''See you soon, okay?''

''Okay..., later guys.'', she sighed and listened to the voices that came from the hallway. She heard Rukia begging Matsumoto to stop hugging her. She understood why though, those hugs are known to be suffocating with Matsumoto's assets being the cause. Still, there were some people from school and with that she meant 98% of the male students that would do anything for a hug from the blonde beauty. The perverts.

''You know, your face looks stupid when you space out.''

That voice. It sounded exactly like that of...

''Hitsugaya-kun.''

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**Aaaand that was the first chapter! I don't really know if there will be people who would like to read more, but as I've mentioned before the story is already done. I will publish the other chapters soon, regardless whether there are any readers or not. For those who did like this chapter and want to read more... Thank you :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Day 1 Part 2

**Author's note: So, here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, but Kubo Tite does.**

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**Chapter 2 Day 1 Part 2**

Five minutes have passed and neither Hinamori nor Hitsugaya said a word. So here she is. In the same room with the boy she supposedly loathes. Just the two of them on the couch. She is sitting on the left end and he is sitting awefully close to her. Great, juuuuust great.

_'C'mon Rangiku-san! You invited him, so why aren't you here with me?!'_ Normally, Hinamori was great at making friends, thanks to her easygoing and friendly personality. In fact, she was on good terms with everybody in her class except for one person and that same person is sitting right next her her at this very moment on the comfortable couch. Not that it was very comfortable right now, being just a few centimeters away from him. _'Why the heck is he even sitting so close to me anyway? Can't he just sit on the other end of the couch? Ah, maybe Rangiku-san could get him to move, but she can't do that if she's not here... That's it, I'm getting her.'_

''Er-hem. Since you know, Rangiku-san is the one who asked you to come over, she should be here too. So let me just get her for you...'', she stood up. _'And when she gets here I'll sneak awa-'_

''No need, there she is'', he said pointing to their blonde friend who appeared out of nowhere. She was holding loads of snacks, which can make one assume that she was busy in the kitchen raiding the fridge. Hinamori cursed her luck as she sat down again. This really wasn't her day, was it? First she had to wake up super early to move all her stuff to the apartment making her all sweaty. Then she got called by Matsumoto who needed her help with her stuff, turned out she had twice the amount of boxes filled with possesions than Hinamori. The apartment was on the fifth floor and as luck would have it, the elevator didn't work, meaning they had to walk the stairs up and down. She guessed the bright side of it was that it could be seen as a great workout session. Then they had to unpack the boxes. Good thing Abarai and Rukia were there to help them, because friendship is awesome. Oh, and she got continuously interrupted by her dear friend and now her thoughts also got interrupted, by Hitsugaya no less and that ticked her off even more.

''Sorry for making you wait! I was just getting us some food before the show starts!'', Matsumoto explained. She put the load of snacks on the table and sat down next to Hitsugaya. She then proceeded to get the TV remote and turned the televion on. ''There, now we just have to wait for the commercials to end! So let's have a little chat before that happens, shall we?'', she suggested happpily. Her reason why she was so happy? She rather keeps that a secret... for now.

''You told me you needed me for something, Matsumoto. Unless you somehow need me to watch television I don't think I'm needed.'', the short male told her. Hearing this made the blonde frown and the raven-haired girl smile inwardly. He had better things to do than to watch some program. Just as he was about to stand up a hand caught his wrist and pulled him down forcefully.

Oh no, he wasn't going to leave. Not on her watch he won't. ''Alright, you got me. I just wanted to watch my favorite show with my best friends, but since you're always busy... I just knew that you would refuse so I lied to you. Just stay here, please? It's not as if it's gonna kill you.'' She didn't tell him the whole truth, if she did he would leave for sure.

For now, she'll play into his feelings 'cause no matter how many times everyone called him a cold-hearted jerk, and to be fair they were right, she knew that deep inside he does care. Not much, but still he cares. She sniffed sadly, ''But if you really wanna go... I won't stop you and promise not bother you again with my silly need of having my best friend around. A best friend who clearly doesn't care about me as much as I believed he did,'' She tried her best not laugh and tell him that she was just kidding him when she saw the guilt in his eyes. He let out a sigh. Everyone knew Hitsugaya had a big assortment of sighs and this was his 'fine, you win' sigh. ''Thank you so much, my dear Hitsugaya-kun.'' She earned herself a glare, not just from him, but also from Hinamori. The poor girl was really hoping that he would go home, than Matsumoto came along and shattered it. ''Oh! It's starting!''

The show they were watching is actually a soap opera called 'Je ne t'aime pas'. It was the last season and this week they were showing their last episodes. It's about two sisters, the older sister named Cerise who got divorced last season and her sibling Éliane who gives Cerise her neverending support. In short, it's a drama about the strong relationship they share... Oh, and they also meet a bunch of handsome man along the way. After fifteen minutes staring at the television Hitsugaya already lost his interest. He took a glance to his left and saw a delighted Matsumoto than he glanced to his right and found a glum Hinamori. Curious as to why their expressions differed so much he decided to watch the show again.

_''Thank you Reynaud.., for everything'', Cerise thanked her colleague. She's moving in with her sister today and Reynaud helped her by carrying some of her possesions inside the large mansion. ''Well then, I guess you have to go home now. See you tomorrow at work.'' Just as she turned around she felt his hand grab hers. Confused, she faced him again and asked,''Reynaud? What's wrong?''_

_''Listen Cerise, I didn't help you today just because I'm your colleague.'', he said, his hand still holding hers. Just as she was about to open her mouth to inquire him what he was talking about he spoke again. ''What I'm trying to say is that.. I want to let you kno-''_

_''Cerise, are you done yet?!'', her sister yelled to her as she ran towards her, but slowed down when she saw Reynaud, with an apologetic she asked, ''...I'm not ruining the moment, I hope?''_

_''No... you're not. I'll take my leave now, bye Cerise..., and you too Éliane'', he gave a small wave and walked away._

''Aaaaaarghhh! She did it again! Just when he was about to confess, her freakin' sister pops up!'', a very pissed off Matsumoto munched on her chocolate bar.

''Hah! That means the bet is still ongoing!'', Hinamori laughed. She almost lost, thank goodness Éliane was there to stop him. The older girl shot her a glare and Hinamori just laughed it off.

''... What the heck are you two talking about?'', Hitsugaya asked. That's right, he was still here. The girls almost forgot him, despite that you know, he's sitting right between them.

Matsumoto looked at him and soon realised something, ''Oh yeah, you wouldn't know about our little bet. Here, let me explain. You see, I'm shipping Cerise with Reynaud and Hinamori is shipping Éliane with Célistin. The first person from our pairs who confesses his or her love to the person from that same pair and if said feelings gets returned wins. The winner gets to ship the loser with a person she knows and than the loser has to ask that person out! You also lose, if a person from a pair ends up with someone that's not part the ship, for example if Cerise and her ex-husband Beaumont got back together I would have lost the bet. Got it?''

''I've heard about shipping before, but.. I didn't know you and Hinamori were into that kind of thing.'', he looked from Matsumoto to Hinamori. When dark brown eyes met teal eyes she immediately looked away. This didn't go unnoticed by the blonde girl, not at all.

''You have no idea.'', the girls said at the same time. They looked at eachother seriously.

''Telepathy?''

''Telepathy.''

''Heh, you're right. We don't have to shower together to strenghten our relationship, obviously we're already very close if we're sharing the same thoughts.'', the blonde concluded. This made the other girl blush madly and turn her head to the other way as soon as she felt the eyes on her from the person who was seated directly next to her.

''H-hey look! The episode is over! I suppose that means Hitsugaya-kun is done here, right? I mean, we shouldn't shouldn't waste his time anymore. Really. We shouldn't.'', Hinamori said trying to distract him and Matsumoto from the image of her roommate and her showering together. Naturally, she didn't really know if they really were imagining that, but she had a nagging feeling they did. Because everyone has an inner perv... that and hormones.

''She's right. I have to go home and it's pretty late now anyway.'', he stood up, said goodbye to them and then headed to the hallway. The girls heard the door close and Hinamori smiled relieved, now she didn't have to worry about him anymore. She looked at the wall clock. It was indeed late. She heard sounds nearby that reminded her of snoring, so she looked at the blonde who was sleeping soundly.

Hinamori smiled softly and walked to the blonde's bedroom to retrieve a blanket. She came back to the sleeping girl and tucked her in. The raven-haired girl was also feeling drowsy and so she headed towards her own bedroom, completely forgetting that she still had to take a shower. Hitsugaya probably thought they were smelling horribly, because of all the sweat from today's work. Not that she cared what he thought of her anyway and with that in mind she dozed off to dreamland.

_''Hinamori-senpai!'' The raven-haired girl looked behind her and she saw a crying girl running towards her. She turned herself around to face the girl who seemed to know her and tried to remember where they had met before._

_It wasn't easy since Hinamori was pretty popular among all the students, but she assumed that was because she was best friends with the school's number one beauty. As a result, she made acquaintance with a fair amount of students. This girl who was now bawling in front of her was presumably one of them. 'Think Momo! Think! What was her name again?!' After digging deeply into the abyss of names that lay deep within her memories, she found the girl's name... Well, she hoped she did or else it would make this situation even more uncomfortable than it already was. She pulled her most empathic face. Here goes nothing._

_''What wrong? Are you hurt...,Tsukino Aiko?'', she asked in a very worried tone. 'Please let that be her name. Pleaaaaase.'_

_The brunette wiped off her tears and gave a slight smile, ''Please senpai..,just call me Aiko.'' Good, she got her name right. Now it's time to comfort her and possibly help her out with whatever made this girl so upset._

_''Alright then Aiko-chan, what made you so sad?'', her voice was gentle as she wiped some of the tears that were about to fall down again with her handkerchief._

_''I-I confessed my love to someone a-and he rejected me. When I asked him why, h-he told I was too stupid for him a-and than called me an idiot t-too!'', she cried again. Louder than she did before._

_Hinamori frowned. She didn't like were this was going. ''Did he tell you why he thinks you're an idiot?''_

_The brunette nodded, ''He t-told me that I was an idiot for falling in love w-with someone way of my league. A-and an even bigger i-idiot for confessing to him.'' As soon as she stopped talking she hugged Hinamori for support. The raven haired girl was stunned from the sudden action for a second and then slowly began to pet the girl's head. This seemed to work as Tsukino calmed down considerably and her breathing became more regular. _

_Aside from being best friends with Matsumoto there was another explaination why Hinamori was well-known at school, and this was it. She was great at calming people down for some reason, so whenever someone was crying they would look for Hinamori and she would comfort them. This earned her the title as the number one sympathetic girl. At first she was flattered when she heard about this, but then it became more of an annoyance. Why? Well, because every week or so, a sobbing girl (and very rarely a boy) would come to her, begging the raven-haired girl to soothe their aching heart. The cause of their misery? A broken heart and they all had one thing in commmon._

_''Aiko-chan, who is this boy you confessed to?'', she asked after a moment of silence. 'Don't let it be him. Please, don't let it be h-''_

_''Hitsugaya Toushiro.''_

_All those hearts were broken by the same person._

_'Darn you, Hitsugaya.'_


	3. Chapter 3: Day 2 Part 1

**Author's Note: Another day, another chapter.**

**Disclaimer: It's kind of obvious I'm not Kubo Tite.**

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**Chapter 3 Day 2 Part 1**

''BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!''

The tired girl slammed on her alarm clock to turn the beeping off. She yawned loudly and stretched her arms. She got off her bed and headed towards the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a shower afterwards. When she was done she walked into the living room to find a sleeping Matsumoto. In a very weird sleeping pose. Hinamori never knew her friend was able to bend her body that way. Guess she was more flexible than the raven-haired girl gave her credit for. Well, time to wake the sleeping beauty up.

''Rangiku-san, it's time to wake up.'' She shook the blonde by her shoulders. She got a groan as a response. She shook her harder. Nothing but silence from the older girl this time. ''Rangiku-san, I found your hidden stash of high quality sake. If you don't wake up now, who knows what's going to happen with it.'' If the nice way didn't work she could always use blackmail. She grinned as she saw Matsumoto's body tense. ''Maybe it gets, for instance, thrown out of the window. Too bad you won't be there to stop me since you're clearly aslee-''

''ALRIGHT, YOU WIN! You're so cruel sometimes.'' The blonde was grumpy as usual in the morning and this time she felt gross too because she smelled like perspiration. ''I'm going to take a shower, are you gonna make breakfast?'' She received a nod from the younger girl.

Hinamori walked into the kitchen when something catched her eye. A cell phone to be precise. It wasn't hers, because this one has an ice blue case. Hers was of a peach colour and she was pretty dang sure Matsumoto's phone was of a different model. Unless, she bought a new one. If that's the case, than she would have to talk to the blonde about their expenses. Now they're living together they should be more careful with their spendings, and this phone didn't exactly look cheap. Actually, it was very expensive and Hinamori was aware of that since she owned the same one. Her friends bought it for her as a birthday present and when she found out how much they paid for it she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

''Oh! That smells good! And *chew* it even tastes great!'', the blonde exclaimed cheerfully. She ate some more of her food until she felt a pair of eyes boring holes into her skull. She looked around to see Hinamori leaning against the kitchen counter with her arms crossed. ''Hinamori?''

''Yes, Rangiku-san?''

''...''

''...''

''...I'm in trouble, aren't I?''

''Not necessarily. Just explain where this cell phone came from.'' She revealed the object that she's been hiding in her sleeve.

''Oh, that thing. Yeah, that's not mine.''

''Any ideas who it does belong to?'' She got a nod and a sigh from the blonde. Said girl rested her head on the palm of her right hand and looked away.

''That'sHitsugaya'sphoneyourholding.'', she mumbled quickly.

''WHAT?! How, I mean, I'm certain that he never set one foot into our kitchen so how did it end up here?!'' She looked at the cell phone and then to a very guilty looking Matsumoto. ''You stole his cell phone?'' It sounded more of a statement than a question.

''To return it later! I just wanted an excuse to see him again and since he's just so busy all the time I thought 'What if I took is phone, he'll have no choice but to see me when I give it back!'... Then I drag him away from his house and force him to hang out with me.''

''You're surprisingly creepy. Anyways, when you're done eating you should give this back to him. He'll probably be very pissed when he finds out his phone is missing.'' The raven-haired girl walked to the table and sat across Matsumoto who just waved her comment off.

''No, no, no! He won't be pissed. He's going to be pleasantly surprised instead! As in a 'Oh noes, my phone is still at Rangiku's place. I'll go to her and retrieve it. While I'm there I might as well hang out with her too, because I value her so much as a friend' kind of thing.'', she laughed convinced of her own words. Her interlocutor, however, doubted that he would be all like 'Oh noes!'.

''Rangiku-sa-''

''ZZZZZZZZ''

''What was that sound?'', the blonde asked.

''His cell phone. It's on vibrate.'', Hinamori said as she looked at the device. ''Oh, and he's pissed.''

''What makes you think that?''

''Here, read this message. It's for you.'' She showed the blonde the screen.

**''MATSUMOTO! I EXPECT YOU TO RETURN MY PHONE THIS AFTERNOON AND DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT NOT SHOWING UP OR YOU'LL FEEL MY WRATH!-Hitsugaya.''**

''Good luck with him, Rangiku-san. Sounds like you'll need it.'', the raven-haired girl giggled. She then collected the plates and walked to the sink. She was glad she wasn't involv-

''You're going with me Hinamori, whether you want to or not.''

-ed. Darn it.

''What do you need me for? What good will my presence do?'' She already didn't like the white-haired boy and last night's dream didn't make her want to see him anytime soon either... And did she just say that out loud?

''You were dreaming of him? How cuuuuuuute!'', the blonde squealed gleefully.

''Don't you dare change the subject. Now explain why I need to come along.''

''It's just that he always seems to control himself better when there are more people around. If you're going to be with me he won't yell as much as he does in general.'' She gave Hinamori her puppy eyes and a pout for good measure. Now she won't be able to say no to her. ''Please?''

It's true, she couldn't refuse her friend as much as she wanted to. She sighed,''... Fine.''

And that's how Hinamori ended up in the car with Matsumoto on the way to Hitsugaya's house. She looked through the window of the vehicle and heaved a sigh, which made it the twentieth one ever since the car started driving, if yesterday wasn't troublesome enough, this day also started unfavorably. Maybe rest of the day would progress better as soon as they got rid of the phone.

''Why the long face, Hinamori?'', a voice broke her out of her thoughts.

She continued gazing out of the window and replied, ''I'm just not looking forward to encounter Hitsugaya-kun again. I mean, according to Abarai-kun I'm not very fond of the guy.''

''Aaaah, I see. Don't fret, he was just exaggerating! You just don't like him at the moment, but once you get to know him you'll like him for sure. Who knows, maybe love will blossom between you two and soon you two are dating each other. And get married. Yes.''

''...I rather not. You do understand that he didn't leave a very good impression, right? Even after being in the same class for years. Moreover, I like being single.'' She looked at the rear mirror this time.

''Hinamori! You shouldn't judge people negatively based on a bad impression! You of all people should know that!'', she scolded her younger friend.

It's true, Hinamori wasn't the kind of person to judge people. The students thought Kira Izuru was a depressed guy and also a bit of an emo, Abarai Renji someone you should avoid with his delinquent exterior, Kuchiki Rukia a snob (her brother was the head of one of the richest and powerful family of the entire country) and Matsumoto Rangiku, even though she was loved by everyone, the typical curvaceous blonde that sleeps around. One look at them and some may ask what a plain girl such as Hinamori was doing with this bunch of not so trustworthy looking people. The answer? She knew better.

''Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Still, I'm not looking forward to seeing him again.''

''Humph, it's not as if you have choice, seeing that we've already arrived at his place.'', the blonde said as she slowed down the car. ''You're getting out of this car. I don't care if I have to use force.''

The younger girl mutterd something incoherently. Good, she was giving in to the older girl's will. They stepped out of the car and walked toward the humble abode of the Hitsugaya's. That is, if you consider a mansion as a humble abode. It was undoubtedly magnificent, as the girls expected it to be. Everyone already knew that the Hitsugaya family were relatively rich.

''Alright, let's get this over with.'', Hinamori said reaching out for the doorbell. Just as her index finger was just a few millimeters away from pressing the button, she heard shouting on the other side of the door. Furious shouting. ''I believe we came at a bad time.., perhaps we should leave and come back later.'' Matsumoto, who also heard the noise, nodded her head in agreement and just as the two were about to turn around, the door flew open.

''THAT DOES IT! I'M QUITTING!'', the woman screamed behind her. Her head was as red as a tomato and her hair was tousled.

''I DON'T CARE, YOU SUCKED AT DOING YOUR JOB ANYWAAAAYS!'' A yell could be heard from inside the mansion. Weird, the voice sounded familiar. In fact, she could have sworn it wa-

''Why that little...! Er-hem, excuse me, but you're in my way young lady.'', the woman told told her with all the dignity she still had left. Hinamori gave an apologetic smile and stepped aside so the woman could pass by. She felt like she saw something she shouldn't have seen, great, all she wanted to do now was to run to the car and leave at the speed of light.

''Fujino-san! He didn't mean what he said! Please don't leave! Aaaaand she's gone... Oh, but who do we have here? Matsumoto-san and ...?'' A man appeared and caught Hinamori and Matsumoto both off guard as they were watching the woman storming off. The blonde took a while to recognize the man when a bell rang inside her head.

''A-ah!.. Good day, Hitsugaya-san! Your son left his cell phone in our apartment. So we, umm, wanted to give it back. Oh, and this is Hinamori Momo by the way.'', she explained.

''Left in the apartment? You mean you stole it from me.'', an annoyed voice spoke. It belonged to none other than Hitsugaya Toushiro who was walking down the huge stairs that stood in the middle of the hall. When he stood next to his father, and thus in front of the girls he extended his hand. ''Give it back. Now.''

Not wanting to stay here any longer, Hinamori gave the device to his awaiting hand as fast as she could. She didn't even spare him a glance, founding the door suddenly to be incredibly enthralling.

''I'm sorry for my son's attitude. Honestly, sometimes I've got no clue sometimes what to do with him.'', the man said as he looked sternly at his son.

''There's nothing wrong with my attitude.'', the young male retorted.

''It's because of that attitude our maid got upset and quit just now!''

''She won't be missed.''

''I can't believ- Fine, be like that, see if I care. Anyhow, now I have to find a new maid...'', he switched from his son to the two girls who were engrossed by the interaction between father and son.

''Perhaps one of you would want to work us?'', he asked them somewhat amused when he saw Hinamori's shocked face.

The blonde shook her head. ''I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid I already have a job that I love too much to give up.'', she then gave a sly smile. ''However, I'm certain my dear friend on the other hand would love to take up on your offer.'' She knew Hinamori was glaring daggers at her now, but she ignored it.

''Ahahahaha, forgive my friend sir. I'm already working at the bakery, remember Rangiku-san?, she uttered her friend's name a bit too gruffly. ''Thank you for offeri-

''I'll pay you double the amount.'', he cut her off. This sure put her on the spot.

''W-well, I...'', the poor girl trailed off. She looked at her friend who nodded her head frantically with a huge smile. Then she looked at Hitsugaya Toushiro who looked back at her with a poker face. Finally, she slowly looked up to see his father with puppy eyes. Darn her weakness for sad faces. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to give up this this easily.

''But I don't have any experience with this kind of work. I'm sure I'm bound to mess things up. Many things. Very many things. I could even set the house on fire, because I'm just such an incredible klutz.'' Hopefully this would stop the man from trying to win her over. It did seem to work as he looked like he was contemplating about her words. Good, now just a little more persuasion. ''That's not all, I als-''

''What the heck are you talking about Hinamori? You're perfect for the task! Before we moved in with each other you lived on your own, right? You always kept your house super neat and the breakfast you made today was simply delicious. If anything, you have got all the experience you need when it comes to cleaning the house and cooking food and whatnot.'' , the blonde laughed oblivious to the dirty look Hinamori gave her.

''Why, that's just wonderful! So how about it? Would you please work for us? Only until school starts!'' Oh no, there he goes again with his eyes and darn it now he was adding a pout too.

''B-but the bakery!'' She had never felt this pressured before.

''Don't worry, just tell them your helping a friend out for a few days! I'm sure they'd understand!'', her dear friend (although she felt like punching her right now) exclaimed.

She gave the man a weak smile.

''I... look forward working for you.''

This really wasn't her day. Not. At. All.

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**Well, umm, is it normal to publish three chapters in one week? But then again, I do want to publish all the chapters as soon as possible...**


	4. Chapter 4: Day 2 Part 2

**Author's Note: Here you go. A new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Kubo Tite. He's the man you're looking for if you want to know who the creator is of Bleach.**

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**Chapter 4 Day 2 Part 2**

''This is the task list, the map of the house, your schedule and phone numbers in case of emergencies. If you have any questions, feel free to ask my son.''

The man dropped the stack of papers in Hinamori's hands. She wanted to flee, but she couldn't seeing that the door was guarded by none other than her beloved friend Matsumoto, who was squealing like a fangirl for some unknown reason. Not to mention, it would be very rude to walk out on the man when she already agreed to work for him.

''And this is your uniform. The hairclip is part of it, so make sure to wear it when you're here. Always.'' He handed over the uniform with a sastified visage when he heard a soft 'yes sir' from the girl. ''You can start tomorrow.''

She just stood there staring at the uniform that lay on the top of the stack of papers when the man left the room. The hairclip placed on the center. She was going to work here from now on. For the rest of the vacation. She questioned herself what on earth she did to the world to deserve this predicament. Was it because she made friends with Matsumoto, despite all the warnings she received? It's no secret when it came to befriending the blonde you were destined to be blessed and cursed at the same time. Resisting the urge to scold the blonde for putting her in this situation, she instead chose to evaluate it.

_'The advantages are... I get to earn more money than at the bakery, which is good for paying the rent and stuff. The disadvantages are... I don't get to spend as much time as I would like to with my friends and I have to work in the same house where Hitsugaya lives. The guy I supposedly loathe, according to Abarai-kun. Then again, Rangiku-san did say he was just exaggerating. Ah, I know! I'll prove to him and Rukia-san that I don't harbor such ill feelings for him. Why? I enjoy saying 'I told you so' to people, that's why. I should see that as an advantage... This will make working here more advantageous than disadvantageous.'_

''How long are you planning to stand there staring into space?'', were the words that brought her out of her musing. She turned to look who was talking to her and as predicted, it was a very bored Hitsugaya. ''Well?''

''Not long, in fact, I'm done doing... whatever you said I was doing. Come on, Rangiku-san. We're leaving.'' She grabbed the blonde by her arm as she walked away to the front door.

Matsumoto struggled a bit with the fast pace the younger girl was walking. She looked behind her and said with a grin, ''See ya later, Hitsugaya-kun! I know Hinamori can't wait to work here! Especially, because of y-mmffff.'' She couldn't finish her sentence as a hand stopped her mouth from doing so.

''Rangiku-san, you silly girl. What on earth are you talking about?'', the girl asked changing her pace faster this time, more or less dragging the blonde towards the entrance of the house. She opened the large door. ''Bye, Hitsugaya-kun.'', and once she was outside she closed the door with haste.

They were on their way home now and Matsumoto was merrily driving the car and Hinamori was sitting next to her sulking. She was concious that it was beneficial working there, but she didn't appreciate being put on the spot like that. Speaking of which...

''Why do you actually want me to work there?'', she asked.

''Huh? Oh, umm..., it pays good?'' The words left her mouth as she was thinking of a good reason why. There's no way she was gonna give her real intentions away. Not yet.

''Uh-huh. That's all?'', the raven-haired girl asked again completely aware that the other was lying.

''Yeah, what can I say? I have a very simple mind.''

''Riiiiiiight.''

They returned at their apartment and the blonde was scanning the living room in search of the TV remote. She found it after the raven-haired girl sat next to her on the couch and turned the televion on.

''This time I'm sure he's going to say it! He has to!''

''Oh, he will. After Célistin that is.'', she smirked at the blonde, leaning deeper into the couch.

''We'll see about that. I can't wait to win this bet, just so I can make you ask him out. Then my OTP fantasy will become reality.'', she said the last part with a dreamy look.

''... About th-''

''Shhhhhh! It's starting!''

After seventeen minutes into the show, the girls were sitting at the edge of the couch filled with anticipation.

_Célistin walked hand in hand with Éliane at the park. They were used to doing this, because of their close friendship ever since they were just kids._

_''I blew Reynaud's chance to confess to my sister... again.'', she said breaking the comfortable silence._

_The young man laughed. ''What makes this what... the eighteenthtime?''_

_''You're keeping the count?'', she asked somewhat embarrassed._

_''Maybe and maybe not. Look, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault that you have the worst timing in the world. Everything will work out if they were meant to be with each other, though one shouldn't keep their hopes up. Cerise just got divorced after all, I don't think she's going to jump into a new relationship anytime soon.'', he said as he watched the red leaves falling of the trees._

_''If they were meant to be, huh? I wonder if I'm ever going to meet my soulmate one day...'', she stared ahead of her not, sensing that his gaze has shifted to her._

_He whispered, ''Maybe you've already met him.''_

_She stopped her tracks and because their hands were still intertwined he also stopped. She faced him looking him right in his light green eyes with her hazel ones._

_''Did you ju-''_

_''Riiiiiiii! Riiiiiiiiii!''_

_''It's most likely your sister. You should pick it up.''_

_''Y-yeah.. Excuse me.'', she walked a few meters away from him and answered her cell phone.''_

_She really did have bad luck when it comes to timing._

The episode ended and now they were showing the preview of the next one. Matsumoto was relieved. She didn't lose the bet. Hinamori was annoyed, she almost won the bet. She was so close. That darn phone call ruined everything.

''No winners this time either it seems.'', she finally spoke after a few seconds of silence.

''Nope, good thing too.'' The blonde turned the television off and yawned. ''Just asking, but if you win.. who would you make me ask out?''

''Eh... I guess Hisagi-san, because of his obvious crush on you. Perhaps even Ichimaru-san?''

''Whaaaa? Why would you match me with Gin?'', she asked, surprise evident in her voice.

''I have thing for childhood friends. I tend to ship them.''

''You're shipping Rukia with Abarai?''

''As if you don't do it. What about you? Who are you going to make me ask out if you win?''

''Hmmmm... Who knows? Meheheheheh...'', she laughed mischievously.

''... Now I know I can't afford to lose. I don't trust that laugh.''

''Whatever, I'm going to sleep. Good night.''

'' Good night...''

She walked to her own bedroom. It wasn't that late yet, so she decided to take a look at her schedule.

_'So I have to start early, huh? Eh, I have to cook, clean, do the laudry, water the plants, etc. Nothing out of the ordinary. Ah, but I can only go home when the episode of 'Je ne t'aime pas' has ended, unless I work fast! And they won't show any reruns until the weekend. This sucks.'_

She put the paper aside from her and then gave a brief glance at her uniform. It wasn't too bad really, just ended above her knees. However, she felt that it was a bit too short for her liking. Being the modest person she was, she prefered wearing long flowy skirts or dresses. Nothing showy or tight. Basically the opposite of her roommate who enjoyed flaunting her body to everyone. Needless to say, the blonde knew how to beat perverts up that tried to approach her.

Finally, the short girl examined the hairclip. The clip itself was light blue and reminded her a lily of the valley. At the end hung a pendant in shape of a snowflake connected to the hairclip by a chain. Hitsugaya's father told her to always wear it at work. She fell asleep wondering why.

_''We're finally done with schooooool! Wanna go to my place to celebrate?''_

_''By celebrating you mean getting wasted?''_

_''You know it!''_

_Hinamori just looked at the school building, listening to people yelling their plans for the vacation that just began. She however, had other things on her mind. She was going to move in with Matsumoto and still had to pack her stuff. The thought alone made her feel tired and she heaved a sigh. She jumped a little when she felt something poke her side. Or someone._

_''Kyaaa!'' She whipped around. Behind her was no one other than her future roommate._

_''That scream never gets old.'', the blonde laughed, loving the way how cute the younger girl sounded._

_''Rangiku-san! I told you to stop poking me!'' Why did she actually agree to live with her? Oh, right... The apartment was close to the university they enrolled, but it was too big for one person and since neither wanted to live with strangers..._

_''And I told you to just call me Rangiku without the honorific, but it seems nobody gets what they want.''_

_''If I have to call you Rangiku, you have to call me Momo.'' That seems fair, right? They were very close after all._

_''Eh... I'll give it a tr-''_

_''NO! CHOOSE ME!'' Matsumoto couldn't finish her sentence as loud shouts could be heard throughout the place. They looked at the direction where it came from and saw a horde of girls pushing each other and other girls running away from the crowd with their hands covering their faces as if they were crying or humiliated._

_''What's happening over there?'', Hinamori thought out loud._

_''Umm, apparently they're all trying to get picked to be some guy's girlfriend.'' She looked to her left and saw Kira. Next to him stood Abarai and Rukia. ''I heard he also got graduated today, so some girls are trying to get with him before he's leaving the building.''_

_''You call that 'some girls'? Anyway, it's none of our business. Let's get out of here.'', Hinamori said. Her friends nodded and they walked towards the school gate. They just wanted to end their last day as high school students peacefully and that could be achieved without getting into someone's love life. Too bad for Hinamori though, for she was known as the number one sympathetic girl._

_''HINAMORI-SENPAI!'' A wave of wails came closer and closer. So she walked faster and faster until she started to run to the gates with her friends following her. She felt bad for treating the heartbroken girls that way, but she just didn't want to deal with them. Oh, silly Hinamori. Escaping the girls proved to be impossible as they were now starting to jump on her. So she fell. Hard. With weeping girls now clinging onto her searching for comfort, she couldn't help but get extremely annoyed. Her friends tried to hold in their laughter. They did feel sorry for their friend, but the sight of a very pissed off Hinamori underneath a pile of girls was just too hilarious._

_The raven haired girl tried to calm herself. Deep inside, she wanted to curse like there was no tomorrow, but she held it in. They didn't deserve hearing her use harsh words, right? It wasn't their fault they were miserable, right? They couldn't possibly know that rejection was unavoidable, right? Yes, she didn't want to do anything unreasonable. She wasn't angry at them either._

_A chuckle could be heard nearby. She whipped her head to the place where she heard it from and there he was in all of his majestic glory. Leaning against the wall with a very amused expression. Her eyes glowered. True, she didn't hate the girls. But she did hate him. A lot at the moment. He was why she was in this situation. He was the reason why she always had to comfort people. He was the source of her problems and now he dared to laugh at her._

_She rose up of all the sudden, causing some girls who were clinging onto her to fall. Her breathing became heavy and she was fuming. She fast walked his way and he just smirked at her. Soon his eyes widened when he saw her running to him, lifting her right leg to kick him in th-_

_''Wait Hinamori!''_

_''Calm down!''_

_Before she knew it, she got lifted upwards by Abarai. He carried her over his shoulders and watched Kira apologize to the white haired boy.''_

_''Sorry for...that.'' He scratched his head and glanced at Abarai. ''Let's go, Kuchiki-san and Matsumoto-san are waiting for us.''_

_And so they left a very astonished Hitsugaya behind._

_''What are you sorry for?! The prick deserves it! Put me down! Put me-''_

_''Woah, woah, woah, woah... Hold a minute, did you just call him a 'prick'? I never knew you were even capable using foul language.'' It's true, as for as anyone could tell Hinamori was the embodiment of 'pure and innocent'._

_''She must have been infuriated when she tried to kick him, that's the only explaination.'', Kira concluded._

_''Uh, guys I'm still here, remember? Anyhoooooow, PUT. ME. DOWN!''_

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**My Thanks To****:**

**Ann- I'm happy that you like this story! Thank you! :)**

**Ninjaboy250 - Thank you! I'm really happy people like this story! :)**

**Vi ChaN91312- Thank you so much for your kind review! :) I just hope I won't annoy anyone with me updating too fast.**

**gamma2015- Well, to be honest, this isn't really one of those maid/young master kind of story...I think. Maybe? Anyways, thank you for reading this story! :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Day 3 Part 1

**Author's Note: The pacing in this chapter may be too quick. I'm sorry.**

**Disclaimer: There are so many reasons why it's impossible for me to be Kubo Tite. So yeah, I don't own Bleach.**

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**Chapter 5 Day 3 part 1**

''Want me to drop you off to his house?'', Matsumoto asked. They were both going to their job today. Matsumoto asked her boss a few days off so she could have more time with moving to the apartment. Her boss, being a very understanding person, granted her request.

''Are you sure? Aren't you going to be late for work?'' Hinamori asked back. She secretly did want to go with Matsumoto so she would arrive on time. She may dislike the boy who lives there, but that didn't make her any less of a punctual person.

''I won't. I just happen to drive there on my way to the bar.'' Just to be clear, Matsumoto works as a bartender. She loved her occupation since day one and she was admired by her colleagues as well by the costumers. Some might even go so far to say that a fair amount of people only went to the bar just to catch a glimpse of her.

''Alright then.''

Once they arrived at the mansion, Hinamori stepped out of the car.

''Thank you for driving me here.'', Hinamori thanked the blonde. Matsumoto beamed at her, saying a 'no prob' and drove away.

Hinamori took a deep breath. ''Let's get this over with.''

She doesn't know why, but ever since the day they graduated she was having dreams about or related to Hitsugaya. No, not the typical ones woman dream, fantasizing to be with the love of their life. Her dreams made her hate him more and more and wait...

_'I promised myself that I would prove Abarai-kun and Rukia-san that I don't hate him! I have to stop thinking so negatively and look at bright side. A-ah, this mansion is truly impressive. I should be grateful for being able to work here! Ahahahaha!'_

Forcing a smile she pressed the doorbell and the door flung open in less than a second. It was her boss/Hitsugaya's father, wearing an expensive suit and carrying a black briefcase.

''Ah, Hinamori-san! I've been waiting for you!'', he smiled wholeheartedly at her.

_'I can see that.'_ ''You did? I'm not late, am I?'' She wore her 'Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry' face.

''No dear, you're not. I just wanted you to come here as soon as possible so I can pick up my wife from the airport. And now that you're here, I can! I'm counting on you to do your job diligently! Bye!'', the man spoke as he walked past the girl on his way to his car.

''...Have a safe trip.''

She smoothed out her dark blue uniform making sure it was free of any creases and walked inside the mansion. She carried her small bag with her and took her schedule out of it after closing the door. The first thing she had to do was to... wake his son up. His son. Hitsugaya Toushiro. Lovely.

On the back of the schedule was thankfully a map of the mansion. She would be having a hard time navigating without it, the place being huge and all. There, his room was marked red.

She had to walk up the stairs that stood in the middle of the hall. They were large and Hinamori was sick of stairs. It reminded her of the day before yesterday when the elevator wasn't working and she ha-

_'Urghh! What am I doing?! Think positive, think positive... My, the carpet on those stairs looks oh so welcoming to walk on! Lucky me, getting the chance to do so! Ahahahaha!'_

After dealing with the stairs she walked through the wide hallway, on her way to a certain white-haired male. His bedroom could be found at the end of the hall. She knocked on his door, the action accidentally opening the wooden door.

_'Why are you leaving your door open like that? What if someo- This is his house, what am I getting all worked up for? The only other people who could enter his room are his parents. There's nothing to worry about, unless.. they do watch him when he's asleep... Which is creepy aaaaand I'm overthinking things way too much.'_

She walked towards his bed. He was lying on his side with his back facing her. She contemplated how to wake him up. The same methods she used on Matsumoto, maybe? Or... eh, whatever.

''Hitsugaya-kun. Wake up. It's nine o' clock in the morning.'', she said in a cold voice.

She saw him shifting in his bed. She moved closer to the male, placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him lightly, maybe she should be more gentle.

''Hitsugaya-kun, it's time to get up. Be a dear and wake up, will you?'', she asked him sweetly.

He groaned this time in protest. Hinamori knew he wasn't asleep anymore. He just didn't want to lose the warmth and comfort his bed provided. She could understand that, she wanted to stay in her bed too, but then her alarm clock went off... Wait a minute, why did she have to wake him up? Can't he just use his own alarm clock? She looked over to the nightstand next to his bed and there it was. An alarm clock. Unplugged. She will have to ask his father about this later. Now, how to get the boy out of his bed?

''I know you're awake. If you think I won't use force to get you out of your bed, you're wrong.'', she said as menacing as she could. She wasn't very pleased with his reply.

''Try me.'', he challenged, his voice muffled by his pillow.

She accepted.

She grabbed his blanket and tried to pull it off him. He reponded by grabbing the other end of the blanket, trying to pull it back. It was almost as if they were playing a game of tug of war, the rope replaced by his blanket. Five minutes after playing this game and they were still at it.

''Heh, you're stronger than you look.'', he commented sitting up to get into a better position to pull his blanket.

''Didn't they teach you not to judge a book by its cover?'', she inquired.

''Whatever, too bad you're still weaker than me. Now let go before my blanket rips apart.''

''Only if you get out of your bed."

''Make me.'' He smirked at her.

She just stared at him blankly and unexpectedly let go of his blanket, thus ending their little game. This had as effect that Hitsugaya fell back on his bed and with a swift movement she rolled him off from it.

''I'm going to make breakfast now, so hurry up.'' she said leaving his room.

She looked at the map as she walked to the kitchen. Her mind going elsewhere.

_'His reputation as the mature and aloof pretty boy can be thrown out of the window. He was totally acting like a little brat.' _Too be fair, she also behaved childishly, but that's not the point.

Secretly, she did like playing tug of war with him. It was fun, until she saw his smirk. It reminded her of who he was at school. Smug. Cocky. And above all, a jerk. She shook her head trying to bring her focus back to the map. At last, she found her destination.

Hinamori found a note on the counter with instructions how she should prepare his meal. She followed each step with perfection and concentration. Matsumoto's right, she was good at cooking.

She placed the meal on the table, while reading her next task. Doing the laundry, huh. That should be easy.

''You're fast.''

Hitsugaya sat on his chair and reached for his chopsticks.

''No. You're just too slow.''

He placed his hand on his chest theatrically, yes, he spent so much time with Matumoto that her ways started to affect him.

''First you abuse my blanket, then you roll me off my bed and exit the room, leaving me on the cold floor and now you're insulting the speed of how I move. You're going to hurt my delicate heart if you keep this up.''

She snorted at that. ''I'm going to do the laundry now. Do you have any clothes that I have to collect?''

''Yeah, there's a basket with clothes in my bathroom. Those are the one that need to be washed.''

''Got it.''

She could feel his eyes on her as she walked away from him. It felt... strange, but she dismissed the feeling right away. There was laundry to do.

She opened his bedroom door, her second time being in his room this morning. Now where was his bathroom.. Ah, there it was. She took a step forward and fell after tripping over something. Thankfully, the fluffy carpet softened her impact with the floor. She sat up trying to find the object that made her stumble... It was a blanket.

''Hitsugaya-kun, you little...'', she stopped herself from cursing. Not that there was anyone who would hear her.

She picked his blanket up and spread it on his bed. If it weren't for the fact that making his bed was also part of her job, she would've burned the darn thing. Calming herself, she carried on with what she was doing before, wondering if finishing the rest of her tasks would turn out to be troublesome with him around.

_'The bright side, Momo! You have to focus on the bright side!'_

She collected all the clothes and searched for the room where the washing machines were. She was getting better and better at reading the map as she found it quickly. She imagined it to be a small room, but of course, being Hitsugaya meant you had to do everything extravagantly. The room had mirrors as walls forcing her to see herself from literally every angle. In the middle of the room were three rows of washing five washing machines and dryers, at the back a closet could be found, filled with detergent from expensive brands with a wide range of different fragrances.

She couldn't comprehend it. Only three people were living in this house, so why was all of this stuff necessary? To show off their wealth? If so, then to whom? The personnel, her? Suspiciously, she looked above her. She frowned.

_'Of course there's a freakin' chandelier in the laundry room.'_

She then concluded that they didn't decorate their house this way to boast about their wealth. No, they just liked to be constantly reminded of how awesome their house was.

Hinamori turned the washing machine on. Hitsugaya should be done eating by now, which means it's time to wash the dishes. She sighed and closed the door behind her.

She entered the kitchen and looked over at the now empty chair. She smiled, finally, no obstacles that hindered her from doing things. She took the plates from the table and dropped them in the sink. Without wasting a second, water ran out of the faucet.

The young male left once he finished eating and went to the living room texting someone with his cell phone. His eyes eyes softened as he read the messages he recieved and a small smile crept up his face. Everytime when Matsumoto asked him to hang out, he told her that he was too busy and he was, but in a different way. While she thought his father made him study books or other boring stuff he was actually texting with this particular person.

''ZZZZZZZZ''. Another message.

His thumbs moved rapidly as he wrote a reply back. He was so absorbed with texting that he didn't realise a certain maid walked up to him.

He snickered a little at the silly message the other wrote.

''What's so funny?''

He froze. He turned off his cell phone and turned to face Hinamori with an indignant expression.

''What the heck do you think you are, creeping around like that. What do you want from me, anyway?, he asked impatiently.

She raised her eyebrow, questioning his strange behaviour. At school he was known to be stoic, this morning he acted childishly and now he was rude to her. If she didn't know any better, she would've guessed he was having mood swings.

''Look, if you have nothing to say you can leave me alone.''

''...I just want to ask where you keep your plants. I have to water them.''

'''Oh,...that's it?''

''Yup.''

''We don't keep any inside, but we have a garden. I'll lead you there.''

''Thanks.''

''You're welcome.''

She walked behind him, watching his back. _'Such a weird boy.'_

He pushed the doors that seperated the garden from the mansion. It revealed an enormous garden, full of exotic plants and gorgeous flowers blooming vibrant colours. A fountain stood at the center of the garden encircled by marble tiles and lampposts. Along the pathway were statues still looking brandnew. One path led to an arbour with a metallic framework, inside hung a bench swing decorated with cushions. Hinamori was amazed by the impressive scenery, especially the cherry trees. Then something struck her.

''I don't have to water all of them, I hope?'', she asked Hitsugaya who stood next to her.

Checking if he had received a new message, he turned to answer her. ''Huh? O-oh, yeah... you don't. Just the ones by the arbour, our gardener takes care of the rest.''

''If you have a gardener, then what's the point of me watering it to begin with? I mean, why doesn't he just water those as well?''

''The gardener doesn't believe those plants doesn't deserve his attention, he has a very strict criteria of what fauna he deems worthy taking care of and what not."

"...Wow, just...wow."

"Think of him what you want, but he's exquisite at doing his profession."

"Riiiight.", she cleared her throat."Thank you again for showing me the way, I'll let you get back to your texting now."

"Sounds good to me."

He didn't even bother to look at her, so he left, his eyes never leaving his cell phone. But that's okay, because she didn't bother to do so either.

With that said, they both went their own way.


	6. Chapter 6: Day 3 Part 2

**Author's Note: A new chapter, because why not?**

**Disclaimer: Bleach will never be mine. Its fate lies in the hands of the man named Kubo Tite.**

* * *

**Chapter 6 Day 3 Part 2**

''Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.''

She took the clothes out of the dryer.

''Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.''

She ironed the clothes.

''Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.''

She folded the clothes neatly and sorted them.

''Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.''

She was done. Hinamori glared at the clock, annoyed by the constant ticking sound it produced. One more minute listening to it and she would start tugging the dark, short locks of her hair. Every sound in this spacious room echoed, even her breathing.

Weird, her list, which was full of details of how she should peform her tasks, didn't tell her where she should leave the now clean pile of clothes. She looked at the clock one more time and gulped, just 1 hour left until the episode. She walked gingerly, yet with haste. If she couldn't rely on her list how to do things then she'll have to do it her own way. She'll just drop the clothes off in the room where they belong. Thank goodness, the bedrooms weren't far away from each other.

After walking for ten minutes, she placed the pile carefully on the bed of Hitsugaya's parents. Now she just had to do the same for young Hitsugaya himself. If she succeeds, she could go the her cosy apartment and watch her soap opera with Matsumoto, for television time with the blonde is a sacred tradition that one should never ever take for granted.

''Yeah,... I miss you too.''

She froze just as she was about to open his door.

''You want to do what to me? You're so naughty.''

''...''

''What I'm wearing? Would you want to know that?''

She bit her lower lip. She really shouldn't be eavesdropping his ,umm, intimate conversation he was apparently having, but she honestly couldn't help herself. Darn her curiosity.

''Ten o'clock? Sure, I'll meet you then.'', with a beep he hung up.

Her heart was beating so quick, it felt as if could jump out her ribb cage any time. She walked away from the door pressing his clothes firmly against her chest, scared that he would caught her listening into his phone call. When she turned around the corner she breathed out a breath she didn't know she held in.

She then decided to leave his clothes at the laundry room. There's no way she could just casually knock his door and act like she didn't hear anything at all with her scarlet flushed face.

Hinamori entered the kitchen and made some tea. Why was she acting like this anyway? Hitsugaya is a healthy young man, it's only normal that he would have his needs. For all she knows, he may be having dirty conversations with this girl all the time! Yes, there's nothing wrong.

She took a sip from her cup and closed her eyes. Even if there was, it'd be none of her business. Therefore, she shouldn't get involved and Hinamori was perfectly content with that. She openend one eye and glanced at her bag. A little green note could be noticed between some papers. She grabbed the little piece of paper and inspected it.

_'It's from mister Hitsugaya. He must have slipped it in my bag when I wasn't looking, the sneaky man.'_

She read the note and scowled, it seems that her plans of going home after finishing her cup of tea got cancelled. With a sigh she walked to the sink.

* * *

Fifteen minutes. Just fifteen minutes left until his rendezvous with the girl he's been texting with. He checked if the coast was clear. All the lights were turned off with only the moonlight shining through the windows as a source of light.

_'Good, Hinamori must have left.'_, he thought relieved.

He walked down the stairs on his way to the front do-

''Where do you think you're going?'' a voice echoed throughout the hall.

There she stood leaning against the pillar, only a few meters away from him.

''I should be asking you the same question. You're done for today, aren't you?'' He crossed his arms in suspicion.

''And I asked you first. You are aware that you're not allowed to go out after nine, right?'' She mimicked his posture.

''Says who?''

''Says your father.''

''I'm too old for curfuws.''

''I don't care, you're not going.''

''I order you to let me go.''

''Hmmm... Last time I checked, it's your father who hired me not you. So no, I won't.''

''Look, I have an important meeting with someone.'' He was getting irritated now.

''That so? You see, your father left me this note. Let me read it for you. Er-hem,

'Dear Hinamori-san,

the past three months my son, Toushiro, has been sneaking out of the house. I'm not sure why he does, but it's very suspicious. You agree, don't you? Of course you do, anyhow he's not allowed to get outside after nine'o clock in the evening. Make sure he doesn't violate this rule.'

In other words, you're staying here.'' She waved the piece of paper in front of him.

''I promised to see her!''

''And I want to sit on my couch watching an episode of 'Je ne t'aime pas', possibly winning the bet with Rangiku-san and when I do win I'll rub it into her face for weeks. But seeing that I'm not sitting on my couch and you're still standing here, it seems that neither of us are going to get what we want.''

''...What? Listen, I don't give a crap about your boring soap opera nor about your stupid bet.'' Pointless, that's how he would've described bickering with her. He was about to head to the door again when suddenly two hands grabbed him by his cheeks. Dark brown eyes glared right into his own teal ones.

''Oh, poor you! Missing your little date with some girl, boohoo! No, you listen. Even though I trust Rangiku-san to tell me truth if someone confessed, I have to see it to believe it. So you're bringing me to a room with a television and being the good boy you are, you're going to watch the episode with me. Are we clear?''

He was flabbergasted. Hinamori Momo, supposedly sweet, tranquil, humble, easygoing and above all 'the number one sympathetic girl' was now anything but. He blinked when she moved her face closer to his, he could feel her breathing now.

''I asked you if we were clear.'', she whispered.

He glared back at her. ''...Crystal.''

She let go of his face, satisfied. He's finally listening to her, maybe she should act like this to get things her way more often.

With the moon illuminating their way, Hitsugaya led her to the living room. He switched the lights on and pointed to the coffee table.

''There's the remote... Do I really have to watch it with you?'' He really, really didn't want to.

''Yes. Yes, you do. It's the only way I can keep an eye on you.'', she turned the television on.

''What happens when you're done watching? Are you telling me you're going to spend the night here to make sure I don't leave the house?''

''I don't have to. You'll be asleep by the time the episode ends.'' The opening credits ended, meaning that she was just on time, perhaps Lady Luck was finally on her side for a change.

''I'll be asleep? How can you be so cert-

''Shhhhh! I'm trying watch over here!''

They sat on the couch. Hinamori sat on the edge as she usually does and Hitsugaya planted his head on the palm of his hand with his elbow leaning on the arm of the couch. She was right, they were only halfway through the episode and he felt himself getting bored to sleep. He blinked with his eyes using every ounce of his energy to keep himself awake. No, he wasn't going to give in to the land of dreams just yet. He has to prove her wrong. He...has...to..ZZZzzzzzz

Yeah, his willpower wasn't that strong when it's so late in the night.

Hinamori on the other side, didn't even notice the white-haired male dozing off, giving the television her undivided attention.

_Morons, that's how Hitsugaya called his fangirls. They would always chase him, devoted to prove their undying love to him. No matter how many times he rejected, scolded or insulted them, they still didn't give up. They were persistent, but in a bad way. There were also the shy ones who confessed to him personally, rather courageous he would give them that much, but alas to no prevail. He turned them down in the same cold manner as he did with everyone else._

_They were a burden. They were troublesome. They were below him. They simply didn't deserve him. Ever the stubborn bunch, they were running all over the place, trying to find him. Not wanting to deal with them, he searched for a place where he could eat his lunch in solitude. An empty classroom, perhaps?_

_''But you're just so cuuuuute together!'' He winced. That was Matsumoto's voice. They knew each other from elementary school. He was a transfer student and asked her for directions. He hasn't been able to get rid of her since._

_''I don't care how cuuuuute he looks! I. Do. Not. Like. Him. Never have, never will.'' The other voice sounded like, what was her name again? Oh right, Hinamori Momo._

_''But why?'' the blonde whined._

_''Why? This morning Tsukino Aiko ran up to me crying, because he broke her heart. Yesterday it was Kimura Sachi, the day before Mizushima Manami AND the day before that day the Yoshida triplets! There's a limit of how many people I can stand bawling their eyes out, asking me to comfort them in a week and this is pushing it. All because of him.''_

_Ah right, the Yoshida triplets. The high-pitched giggling noises when they came to him, the crying they did in unison when he dismissed them and how they ran away in sync. He was a bit creeped out by them, not that he'd ever admit that._

_''It's not his fault they're not his type. If anything, you're not being fair to him.'' She scolded her short friend._

_''And how pray tell, am I being unfair?''_

_''You're not giving him a chance.''_

_''Give me a few reasons why I should.''_

_''He's very good looking, he's the number one popular boy, he's a prodigy, he's rich and though he's cold on the outside, he's very passionate inside which should lead to some interesting sessions, if you catch my drift.'' She winked at her now blushing friend._

_Hitsugaya scowled when he heard those idiotic reasons. Why was he still standing here anyway? He reminded himself that listening into their conversation was wrong, but then again..._

_''Wow,.. I never knew Rangiku-san.'', Hinamori said flatly._

_''Eheheh, well -''_

_''...That you were so into him.'', she continued with a full smirk._

_''I- WHAT?! No way, I'm like, twice his size!''_

_Alright, that's it. He's going to ignore the blonde for the rest of the month._

_''Just kidding.'', the younger girl laughed shortly and then became serious again. ''It doesn't matter how good he looks, how popular he is, how smart he is, how much money he has and I'm already feeling nauseous at how he, urghh, could put his 'passion' to use. It doesn't make me want treat him differently than I do with any other classmate. What does, however, is the way how he's behaving and let me tell you, I'm not liking it. In short, no special treatment from me for Hitsugaya Toushiro.''_

_'Huh, that's a first.', the white-haired male mused. 'Almost refreshing even'._

_The blonde grinned approvingly. ''And that's exactly why you two are meant for each other!''_

_Hitsugaya could've sworn he heard Hinamori groan, mumbling an 'I give up'. He shook his head and walked away._

Hinamori stared at the television. Close. She was so close. Célistin went to a jewelry store to buy a ring, but not just any ring. An engagement ring for his beloved Éliane. Aaaaand then the episode ended. She turned the television off and looked over to her side. He was fast asleep, just as she predicted. His face looked serene and somewhat boyish. Endearing too, now she took a closer look. Resisting the urge to run her fingers through his spiky hair, because come on, who wouldn't want to do that, she stood up. On the chair adjacent to the couch lay a soft blanket and she tucked the sleeping male in with it. She switched the lights off on her way out, leaving him alone in the mansion as she went on her way home.

* * *

**My Thanks To:**

**Saxophone: Thank you so much for your kind review, it really did make me smile! :D I wish you to have an amazing year too! **


	7. Chapter 7: Day 4 Part 1

**Author's Note: Alrighty, the story is now halfway done.**

**Disclaimer: It speaks for itself, really.**

* * *

**Chapter 7 Day 4 Part 1**

''Oh, Hinamoriiiiii!''

Dark brown eyes fluttered open. Her vision blurred a little, then became clear and saw an overjoyed Matsumoto. Did her roommate wake her up? Not the other way around? This normally doesn't happen unless...

''Nothing happened between me and Hitsugaya-kun last night, so keep your mind out of the gutter.''

''Whaaat? But you came home so late last night, something must have happened!'', she protested.

Hinamori got of her bed and stared at her clock, she sighed, it's only 7'o clock in the morning. Time to get started for the day.

''If you really have to know, we were watching 'Je ne t'aime pas' after I prevented him from going to his girlfriend.'', she explained, walking towards the door of her room.

''His WHAT?!'', the blonde shrieked behind her. This can't be happening. No, no, no.

''Girlfriend.'' She wasn't absolutely sure if that girl he's been texing with the whole time really was, but the phone call she overheard pretty much convinced her.

Breakfast was quiet, unlike the ones with Matsumoto babbling about all kinds of topics. Hinamori wasn't used to this, she took a bite from her bread looking at her blonde companion who was staring right back at her and then spoke.

''I can't believe it, I can't believe that he never confided me with the fact that he has a friggin' girlfriend. Seven years of friendship, Hinamori. SEVEN FLIPPIN' YEARS!''. She huffed and turned her head away.

''Maybe he just wanted to keep it secret, he always kept things to himself to begin with, so yeah.'' She took another bite, relieved that the silence was gone.

''Do you know how long he has been involved with this girl?'' She was going to give him a piece of her mind. Keeping things like this from her, she has an OTP and this girl took no part of it.

''Ehh... According to his father, Hitsugaya-kun has been sneaking out of his house for the past three months. Umm.., but we should also take into account the possibility that he was seeing her before that. Anyhow, you can't really blame him for not telling you. It's not like you're obligated to know about his love life.''

''You just don't get it, Hinamori. You just don't.'', the blonde shook her head. ''Let's leave now, you don't want to be late for work.''

_'How am I supposed to get anything if you won't tell me anything?!'_ She nodded.

The ride to the Hitsugaya mansion went just as wonderful as breakfast. In other words, filled with unbearable silence if you have the ask the raven-haired girl. She thanked her friend and only got a small smile in return.

She pressed the doorbell. A few seconds later she heard footsteps approaching, with a 'click' the door opened. It wasn't Hitsugaya's father nor his son who opened the door, no, it was a lady clad in a silken black dress. She smiled charmingly with glistening emerald eyes. She was mesmerizing.

''Hinamori Momo, I presume? I'm Toushiro's mother, it's nice to meet you.'' she extended her hand to the dazed girl.

''H-huh? Oh, right! Yes, I'm Hinamori Momo. Nice too meet you too, madam.'' she shook the woman's hand eagerly. _'Gosh, I must look like an idiot now.'_

''Please, do come inside.''

''Yes, madam.''

They entered the living room. Hinamori played with the hem of her uniform as she sat down on the couch with Mrs. Hitsugaya.

''Would you like some tea?'' the woman offered.

''Oh, no. Thank you, but I kind of , erm, have to work. Now.'' She stood up and gave the older lady a polite smile.

''Speaking of which, how was Toushiro behaving yesterday?'', the emerald-eyed woman inquired.

''Hitsugaya-kun? Oh, he was... alright, I suppose.'', she answered.

''Please, do elaborate.'' She rested her hands on her lap and looked the girl straight in the eyes.

''He...was a little difficult, but a good boy in general.'' She tried to look elsewhere, avoiding the penetrating gaze.

''A little... difficult, you say. Why, what ever did he do to make you say so?''

_'To tattle or not to tattle, that is the question. Eh, her husband already knew about Hitsugaya-kun's little outings, so it'd be logical if she did too.'_

''It's because yesterday he -''

''Gave her a hard time waking him up.''

She slowly turned around. How long was he standing there?

Hitsugaya who was leaning against to door frame, now walked into the the room. ''That is what you were going to tell her, weren't you Hinamori?''

''...Yeah. That's all.''

The woman shook her head. ''Toushiro, you're eighteen years old, you should know better then acting that way. Tell me, how hard is it to get out of your bed? It's not. Now, apologize to her.''

He sighed while tilting his head a bit to the raven-haired girl and said in a monotone voice, ''Please accept my sincerest apologies, words cannot express how truly sorry I am.''

She mentally rolled her eyes. If he was going to do it like that, then he might as well just don't.

''Look at the time, I believe you should go to your work now, mother. Father is waiting for you in the car.'' He pointed at the grandfather clock.

''Oh goodness, you're right. Very well, I shall leave now.'' She stood up and walked to the door. When she passed Hitsugaya, she whispered something, making the white-haired boy glare at her. Once she left, silence engulfed the room.

Hinamori coughed after a while, ''I shou-''

''You were going to tattle on me. I do not appreciate that.'' He faced her now.

''Granted, I was considering it. But! I didn't. Sooooo...'' She trailed off, walking away from him to the door. ''I'm gonna leave n-''

''No wait, I have to show you something.'' He took out his cell phone from his pocket. ''Read.''

''I rather not.'' She just wanted to do her freakin' job.

He shoved the device into her face. ''I said, read.''

''Gosh, alright, alright.'' She took his phone and skimmed through it. Huh, they all came from Matsumoto. She looked at the time he received the messages and she found out they were sent... right after she stepped out of the car. Oh, she was so going to lecture the blonde about driving and texting at the same time.

''Are you reading it?''

''Just give me a minute.'' Apparently all the messages included cursing Hitsugaya's name in the most colourful way Hinamori's ever seen, asking him why he didn't tell her he had a girlfriend, since when he had a girlfriend, if he already went to second base with her and... she didn't dare reading the rest.

''And there's 108 more of them. Why the heck did you tell her I have a girlfriend?'' He snatched his phone back.

''You don't?'' If it wasn't true, she'd feel horrible. Knowing Matsumoto, she was already gossiping about it, and well... it'd spread like wildfire. Hinamori never wanted to participate with gossipping, let alone start it especially if it wasn't true.

He blushed a bit, trying to hide it by moving away from her. ''Not... exactly.''

_'Darn it.'_ ''In other words, no.'' She now hoped the blonde kept her mouth shut from telling other people.

''Not officially. It's just that... neither of us really asked each other out. It kind of happend.''

''I don't follow.''

''As in, we're not really involved with each other, but it feels like we do. The way how we treat one another is in the same way as a normal couple.''

''So are you boyfriend and girlfriend, or what?'' Hinamori was getting impatient with his answers.

''We're not...yet. I'm planning to make it official soon.''

_'You better do.'_ ''Well, good for you.'' She walked out of the room. Starting to do whatever her task list told her to do.

The day went pretty smoothly compared to yesterday. Hinamori worked hard and fast, hoping that this time she would be able to go home earlier. She was sure of it, today was the day Célistin was going to propose to Éliane and she was going to say yes. Oh, how she wanted to see Matsumoto's expression when she won their silly bet.

''ZZZZZ'' ''ZZZZZ''

She took her cell phone out of her bag and turned the screen on.

_'Ah right, my cell phone was turned off yesterday. No wonder I've missed some messages from yesterday, hmmm, the most recent one is from Matsumoto.'_

_Messages missed 1 day ago (4):_

_''Hinamori-kun... I'm truly sorry for not being able to help you with moving. I told Abarai-kun to tell you the reason why so... Anyways, let's meet up soon.-Kira''_

_''Yo, Hinamori! I heard from Matsumoto you're working for Hitsugaya, eh? To be honest, I'm not sure if that's a good idea given the fact that you loathe him, but hey, if it's what you want to do. Just make sure not to kick him 'there' if you can help it.-Abarai''_

_''Dear Hinamori, I saw Renji texting you that you're working for Hitsugaya-san. Please, do be careful and don't let your temper get the better of you.-Kuchiki''_

She smiled at Kira's message and then it immediately disappeared when she read the ones from her other friends. It only happened that one time and they were already making assumptions.

She then read Matsumoto's message and almost dropped her cell phone. She went to the kitchen and searched for a nearby chair. She sat down and texted the blonde back, within a minute she got a reply back. She kept texting and texting an-

''Hey, I'm going out now.''

''...'' Hitsugaya looked at the girl who didn't repond.

''Hinamori.''

''...'' Still nothing.

He sighed and walked towards her chair, he was standing behind her now and bend down until his mouth was close to her ear.

''It's impolite to ignore people, you know.'', he whispered.

''KYAAAAA!'' her cell phone flew out her hands. She stood up and turned around.

''About time. You were texting like an addict.''

''Of all people, I don't want to hear that from you. Have you seen yourself yesterday?'' She asked as she searched for her cell phone. ''Umm, have you seen m-''

''This thing?'' He presented the device he caught when she threw it into the air. ''I'll give it to you, but...''

''But what?''

''But first, you have to get me my jacket. I lost it somewhere in my bedroom, be a dear and get it for me.''

''I...!'' She stopped herself as he waved her cell phone in front of her, a smirk plastered on his face.

''You...?'' He raised an eyebrow.

''I'd be happy to.'', she said gritting her teeth.

She ran off to the stairs the next second.

''By the way, the door is locked! The keys are in the room in the right wing, three hallways to the left, it's the first room on the right with the golden doorknob!''

''Curse you, Hitsugaya-kun!'', her voice resounded throughout the house.

''That's what you get for talking to Matsumoto about my private life.''

He looked at her cell phone and it reminded him of his own. Maybe, just maybe... he could take a little peak.

_'It's not going to hurt anyone, I mean, come on. It's Hinamori. Boring, simple, and plain Hinamori.'_

He turned the screen on and stared at the background of her cell phone. It was a peach smiling like a maniac, stabbing a plum that was reaching out to the peach begging for mercy. Juice dripped out of the sword and a watermelon witnessed the whole scene giving a thumbs up. Alright..., Hitsugaya didn't saw that one coming. She must really, really not like plums.

He went through her music, photos and eventually got to her messages. He wasn't stupid, he knew he was invading her privacy. But the girl was taking too long, searching for his keys and all. He just wanted to kill some time, that's it.

_''Hey Hinamori! Guess what!-Matsumoto''_

_''Please don't tell me you spread to the whole world that Hitsugaya has a girlfriend. I asked him and he told me they weren't in a relationship...yet.-Hinamori''_

_''As if I would do that! But still.. you're making it sound like they are going to be together in the future.-Matsumoto''_

_''Yeah, he said he's planning to make it official soon. Enough of that, what were you going to tell me?-Hinamori''_

_''Right. I heard rumors that Cerise is going to confess to Reynaud this night! I'm sooooo going to win.-Matsumoto''_

_''Nu-uh! You saw last episode, my pairing is going to get together before yours. Face it, you're going to lose the bet.-Hinamori''_

_''Aren't we confident? It doesn't matter anyways. I can handle a date with Hisagi or Gin, but you on the other hand...-Matsumoto''_

_''Forget what I said earlier, I HAVE TO WIN! IN THE NAME OF MY OTP!''-Matsumoto_

_''Oh, we're using captions now, are we? Well then. YOU CAN FLUSH YOUR OTP DOWN THE TOILET, 'CAUSE IT'S HOPELESS! I AM NEVER GOING TO ASK HITSUGAYA-KUN ON A DATE. NEVAAAAAAAAAH! That should do it.-Hinamori''_

_''Why do you think it's him?-Matsumoto''_

_''You've been pestering me to 'get on with him' ever since he and I were classmates. I'm pretty sure it's him.-Hinamori''_

_''...-Matsumoto''_

_''...-Hinamori''_

_''In my defense, you two look totally cute together.-Matsumoto''_

_''So do you with Ichimaru-san.-Hinamori''_

''Hitsugaya-kun, I found yo- What are you doing?''

_'Crap.'_ ''I was.. just checking the time with your cell phone.''

''Riiiiight. Here, your jacket.'' She threw it to him and at the same time he threw her cell phone to her. She catched it and asked him, ''What do you need your jacket for anyway? Are you going outside?''

''I already told you. Yes, I am and as you can see it's still afternoon so I'm allowed to go.''

''Hmm, alright then. Be back home before nine, got it?''

''You don't have tell me.''

He left her and made his way out of the mansion. He was going to visit his 'girlfriend' and make their relationship official.

* * *

**Vi ChaN91312: I hope this update was soon enough for you :)  
**


	8. Chapter 8: Day 4 Part 2

**Author's Note: Nothing to say here... So, umm, I hope you'll have a nice day or night, depending what the time is when you're reading this chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: Let's see, for starters, I am not a man. Let alone a man named Kubo. So no, I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

**Chapter 8 Day 4 Part 2**

Hinamori hummed a song when she dropped the clothes off to the proper room. This was her last task of the list and unlike last time, she was sure she was going to get home on time. She was a little worried though, it was already 8 P.M. and 9 minutes and Hitsugaya had yet to return.

_'Should I wait for him? But what if he won't return before nine? I promised his father that no rules would get violated... But TV time with Rangiku-san...! Oh, it's day Thursday today. I forgot they always air the episode on a different time slot on Thursdays.'_

Realization hit her. It was airing..right..now. She ran down the hallway, climbed down the stairs and then ran again as fast as she could. Once she was in the living room, she grabbed the remote so fast that her arm looked like a blur. She pointed towards the television and pressed the on/off button.

_''Thank you Éliane, for... everything. You too, Reynaud and Célistin.''_

_''You're welcome.'' they all said at the same time._

_''Are you sure you already want to leave? I don't mind having you here longer.'', the younger sibling asked._

_''No. I can't stay here any longer, not when the past continues to haunt me. I have to leave, I shall go wherever fate wants to take me, for the better or worse. Goodbye.'' She walked away with her suitcases down the road._

_They stared at the figure that gradually became smaller and smaller. Célistin put his hand on Reynaud's shoulder. ''It's not too late to go after her, this might be your last chance to tell her how you feel.''_

_''No, you heard her, didn't you? If it's her fate to meet me again, then we will meet. When we do I'll tell her.''_

_''That makes no sense. What if it isn't your fate to meet her again? I don't want you to regret this decision.''_

_''What makes no sense is that you're trying to lecture me about missing my chances when you yourself are doing to same. I have to go now. Good night, Célistin. Éliane.''_

_The woman was confused. What were they talking about? ''Célistin?''_

_He faced her. ''Yeah?''_

_''You're missing your chances too?'' Did her childhood friend love someone without her knowing it?_

_''I... I am.'' He looked away from her._

_''With who?'' It stung her a little that the man she loved was in love with someone else._

_''With you.'' His eyes bored into the now blushing woman._

_''Y-you are.. with.. Me?!'' She couldn't believe it._

_''I've been in love with you since the day you introduced yourself to me at the park.''_

_''But that was fifteen years ago! You can't tell me that all th-''_

_''And yet I do. Éliane, I love you. Do you... do you want to marry me?'' he took a small velvet box out of his pocket. He opened the box and in it lay a golden ring with a diamond._

_''... I..'' She gulped. When she was just a young girl she'd always fantasize how her proposal would look like. Countless scenarios, but this didn't look like any of them. It wasn't half as dramatic, romantic or special. They were standing outside with cars passing by and a mother scolding her hysterical child. It was everything she didn't dream of and yet... ''I do.''_

_It was perfect, just the way it was._

_''Good, it'd be awkward if you'd said no.'' He sighed relieved._

_She slapped his arm lightly. ''You're ruining the mood, hurry up and put the ring on my finger.''_

_''Your wish is my command.'', he mumbled and he did as told._

_She smiled and hugged him._

Hinamori giggled like a madwoman. She laughed uncontrollably causing her to fall of the chair she was sitting on. She paused for a moment, huh, this room sure has one fluffy carpet. She grinned.

_'Oh, why the heck not. This is a happy occasion after all.'_

She rolled around on the carpet with her limbs stretched, giggling loudly. She didn't have to ask Hitsugaya out! She didn't have to deal with him rejecting her, being all like 'you idiot, I'm way out of your league' crap. No, instead she was going to read some manga, while her blonde friend is dating the silver-haired man. With that in mind, she continued rolling around on the soft carpet. No one was there to witness her childish behaviour anyway. Yes, nothing could interrupt her happ-

''Click.''

She broke out of her reveries. ''Hitsugaya-kun, is that you?''

Hinamori heard footsteps running up the stairs. She wondered what was wrong and decided to check up on him. Rubbing the fact that she won the bet into Matsumoto's face could wait.

She walked towards his bedroom and knocked on his door. ''Hitsugaya-kun?''

''What?'' his voice was muffled.

''...Can I come in?'' She didn't wait for his answer as she already opened the door.

He was lying on his bed fully covered by his blanket. Even so, she could tell he was lying on his belly. She sat on the edge of his bed, staring at him.

''I didn't give you permission to enter.''

''I don't care about trivial things like permission. I'm that rebellious.''

She heard a soft laugh. ''You? Rebellious? Yeah, right.''

He scoffed at her and she took this as a good sign. Everything's better than a grumpy 'get out of my room!', right? Right. ''Can I lie on your bed?'' Hinamori doesn't even know why she asked that question. The words kind of left her mouth.

''Do whatever you want. I don't care.'' Ah, he was acting like such a teenager.

''Can I also cover myself with your blanket?'' Seriously, why was she asking these things?

''You're pushing it.''

''I'm going to take that as a yes.''

He shifted himself to make some room for her while mumbling something. Now they were both lying down on the bed, underneath the blanket. She twirled his white hair around her finger and he let her, too lazy to slap her hand away. They stayed like this for a few minutes, enjoying each other's presence (not that either of them would ever admit that).

He rolled to his side, facing her. ''Aren't you going play Miss Sympathetic and ask me what's wrong and what you could do to make me feel better?''

''I'm sorry, I'm afraid Miss Sympathetic isn't available during the vacations.''

''So what? You're not going to try to cheer me up? Not even a little bit?'', he pouted at her.

She mindlessly continued playing with his hair, amused that he is totally out of character. Or maybe that 'handsome, emotionless young man who always kept people at a distance' persona was just a façade and this is how he truly is inside?

''I can be someone who actually listens to you, not like Miss Sympathetic who pets you on your head saying that everything's going to be alright when deep inside she really doesn't care who or what.''

He smiled at that. ''Well... I guess that could work too.''

''Then go ahead, I'm all ears.'' She smiled back.

''I... went to Giselle, the girl I've been texting with.'', he began. ''We spent the day together and everything was going perfect, until she bumped into someone. That person was way taller then her and well, dropped his ice cream on her head.''

Hinamori nodded, waiting for him to continue.

''She just smiled and told the man it was okay, after that she grabbed my hand and led me to her house. She told me to wait in her room while she was going take a quick shower to clean herself.'' He took a deep breath. ''I sat down on her bed, pondering how I should ask her to be my girlfriend. That's when I heard her scream and a loud falling sound, so without thinking I hurried to her bathroom believing that she had slipped and may broke her leg or something.''

Hinamori gave him a blank stare. ''I see...''

He blushed. ''A-anyway, the door was unlocked so I opened the door and...'' His face was red.

''You saw her naked.'', Hinamori finished, not too pleased.

''No, I saw HIM naked. Giselle isn't a girl, Hinamori, but a GUY!'' He was mortified when he found out. ''I ran away and well, you know the rest.''

She stopped playing with his hair. ''Are you dissapointed or confused?''

''Both. With a hint of embarrasment and anger.''

''Dissapointed, because you didn't get to see a nude girl. Confused, because you were crushing on a man and now have to reassess your sexual orientation. Embarrased, because secretly you like the idea of dating a crossdresser. Angry, because you're feeling all these emotions?''

He glared at her. She smiled sweetly in return.

''First of all, I'm not a pervert. Secondly, I'm a hundred percent straight. Thirdly, I'm not interested in dating people like him. And finally, I'm angry because he was fooling me all this time! He even told me that he only tricked me just for fun.'' There a lot of things one could do to piss him off. Fooling him is one them.

''Right, because you totally couldn't tell if it was a guy. I mean, his shoulders weren't broader or, you know, other general differences between men and women...'', she trailed off.

''He was always wearing an oversized trench coat, which hid his body figure.'', he defended himself.

''Alright then.''

''...'' He stared at her.

''...'' She stared back at him. ''I also had a crush once, on my history teacher back in elementary school.''

''How scandalous. What, turned out he was already married and that broke your heart?''

''Nope. One moment you're a happy eleven year old girl swooning about him, the next it turns out he is actually a serial killer pretending to be a teacher. Sure blew my mind when I watched the news that day.'' She remembered passing out when she saw him getting arrested. Sure, she denied that it was actually her beloved teacher, but eventually it dawned on her that he really was just a creep. A very dangerous creep. She's so glad she got over him.

''...Aizen Sousuke?'' He recalled watching the news too. They've been talking about it for weeks so everyone knew about it.

''That's the one. So you see, we both suck at crushing on people.''

''Is... Is that supposed to make me feel better?''

''Well, hearing about other people's misfortune lifts my spirits up most of the time.'', she said in a nonchalant manner.

''You are surprisingly dark for someone people would praise as 'sweet, loveable, innocent, kind, gentle, meek, pure and would never hurt a fly'.''

''Obviously, those people don't know me well enough.'' She rolled with her eyes.

''...''

''...''

''You know, I always saw you as a stereotypical plain and boring girl. And you are, but more than that too. I mean that in the most positive way possible so don't get me wrong.'' He said the last part quickly.

She laughed. ''You're not too bad yourself... By the way, why were you so attracted to Giselle? Was he pretty as a girl?''

He shook his head. ''No, I was... curious.''

''Curious?'', she repeated.

''Our fathers were business partners and when I first met her, no him, there was something I couldn't figure out. Sh- He was a mystery to me, the way Giselle laughed, moved or talked. Everything. Eventually we exchanged phone numbers and... you can figure the rest out on your own.''

''Well, mystery solved. She's a he.'' She smiled.

''... You're enjoying this, aren't you?''

''Whaaat? Nooo! Of course not!''

''How convincing.'', he said, sarcasm dripping out of his words.

''...''

''... I don't want to be alone.''

''Eh?''

''For the first time in my life, I got to experience how it felt to like someone romantically. It was... nice. The loneliness I never knew that existed inside me disappeared and now... I'm alone again.'' His voice was cold.

Hinamori looked at the boy whose face was only a few centimeters apart from her. His expression reminded her of something. That's right. He reminded her of all the girls who came crying to her. It's a bit funny really. The one who made all these girls so sad looked at her with the sames eyes they did. He was heartbroken.

So she did something out of instinct. She embraced him, pulling him close to her. He stiffened at first, but relaxed afterwards. Hesitantly, he hugged her back with his arms around her waist. They were right, she was great at soothing people.

''You won't be alone. One day, you'll meet someone who loves you just the way you are. If you're lucky, it will be a woman this time.'' She caressed his cheeks tenderly, smiling at his scowl.

''Gee, thanks.''

''It's my pleasure.''

''...'' He closed his eyes, relishing her touch.

''I have to go home now, good night Hitsugaya-kun.'' she whispered softly.

His eyes flew open as he felt her warmth go away. Her silhouette no longer to be seen in the dark room.

* * *

**My Thanks To:**

**Saxophone: Thank you again for your kind review! Seriously, thank you so much fo being such a nice person :)**

**Vascoas: I hope this update was fast enough! :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Day 5 Part 1

**Author's Note: Nothing worth mentioning here... I just like writing author's notes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way possible. There, Kubo can't sue me now. (Not that he was planning to do that. I hope.)**

* * *

**Chapter 9 Day 5 Part 1**

_'I can't breathe. I can't move. It's suffocating. Like I'm sinking underwater all tied up, but that can't be the case here. I came home last night and went to sleep. So this is a dream, right?'_

Hinamori opened her eyes and she blushed a red, kind of regretting opening her eyes at the moment.

''R-rangiku-san! What are you doing here?!'' She tried to push the blonde off her who decided to hug the raven-haired girl deeper in response.

The position they were in now was a bit awkward for Hinamori. Matsumoto's right hand rested on the back of small girl's head and kept her in place, her sight only constisting the blonde's cleavage. Her left arm was wrapped around Hinamori's back in a strong hold and their legs were entangled with each other. And it really didn't help that the blonde was only dressed in her lingerie.

''Rangiku-san! Wake up!'', she yelled. She tried to pry her roommate's arms off her unsuccessfully.

''Mmmmnnn...!'' The no longer sleeping blonde let go of the raven-haired girl and sat up on the bed staring at the other girl who finally could breathe again.

''Hinamori? Why were you sleeping in my bed? Just for your information, I don't swing that way.'', Matsumoto spoke forming an 'X' with her arms.

Hinamori wanted to roll the blonde off the bed when she said that. ''This isn't your room, it's mine. I should be the one to ask you why you were sleeping in my bed.''

Matsumoto tapped with her index finger on her chin. ''Why indeed, I could have sworn this was my room." Let's see, she got drunk last night and decided to lay down for a bit on the couch in the living room. Then she heard the front door open and the saw Hinamori's shadow walking down the hallway. She wanted to tell her something so she followed her and when she came in her bedroom she saw that the short girl was already asleep. Matsumoto wanted to wake her up, but instead she passed out next to her. Now, what did she want to tell her again? "Ah! You saw the episode last night didn't you?''

''... I did and I won.'' Hinamori answered, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. ''You're going to have to ask Ichimaru-san out.''

Matsumoto let out a sigh. ''Yeah, I saw that one coming. I don't really care though, he's just gonna leave me the second I blink with my eyes.'' She laughed bitterly.

Hinamori wanted to slap herself right there, right then. What was she thinking? Ichimaru and Matsumoto shared a strange relationship. Although the two of them did care deeply for each other they still didn't really spend time together. Matsumoto did try to reach out to him multiple times and sometimes it worked, but then the next moment he'd just vanish out of thin air.

''I'm sorry, Rangiku-san... Maybe Hisagi-san is a better option.'' Maybe they should just drop the bet and forget it.

''Hmmm... Sure. He's the kind of person who will carry my shopping bags around and try to please me. Oh, and he's a great drinking partner.'', she grinned.

Hinamori smiled, good thing Matsumoto was someone who cheered up quickly. ''You don't have to ask him today, but it has to happen before university starts.''

''Gotcha. Meaning... I only have three days, today included.''

''Yup. By the way, what's wrong with my alarm clock? It didn't work yesterday either...'' It was 7 A.M and 8 minutes right now and she set the alarm for 6 A.M and 50 minutes.

''Oh, that? I kind of turned it off. Kind of. Alright, I turned it off completely. It was annoying, I could even hear it from my own room.'' She straightened her back, causing her large breasts to bounce lightly. Hinamori couldn't handle it anymore and pushed the blonde off the bed.

And with a small 'thud' the blonde fell on the fluffy carpet. ''Awww... What was that for!?''

The short girl mumbled with a red face, ''Just dress up, you're practically naked.''

''Eh? How is that a problem? We're both girls and bosom friends for that matter.'' She just didn't get it and besides, she always went to sleep with these, umm, clothes.

Hinamori blushed harder at the word 'bosom'. She would never admit it to anyone or even herself, but she always felt somewhat intimidated by women who had the curves she didn't have. It made her more concious of her own body, aside from being modest it was also one of the reasons she didn't like wearing tight clothes that accentuated her figure.

''Hinamori?! Earth to Hinamori, is someone there?!'' Matsumoto waved her hand in front of the girl's eyes.

''H-huh? What?'', she asked, still a bit stuck in her own little world.

Matsumoto shook her head. ''Don't you have to get ready? You still have to work, don't you?''

''Oh my, you're right!'' She sped off to the bathroom with her uniform in her arms, leaving the blonde who was scratching her head.

Skipping breakfast, Hinamori ran to the front door and bumped into something. Or someone.

''Oof! Hey, what th- Kira-kun? What are you doing here and it's so early too.'', Hinamori asked confused.

''A-ah, sorry... Matsumoto-san told me to come here to pick you two up.'', he explained.

''She did? What fo-

''I won't be able to drive you to Hitsugaya-kun's house today. My car broke down and Kira is giving us a lift.'' Matsumoto appeared out of nowhere, still in her lacy undergarments. Kira and Hinamori blushed a bright red colour, shouting at the blonde to cover herself.

So Kira was driving the car and Matsumoto sat on the passenger seat next to him and Hinamori sat in the back.

''Thank you for driving us, but I could have just taken the bus and Rangiku-san too.'' She was grateful though, you never know what kind of shady people you bump into when it's still very early in the morning or late in the night.

''No, it's alright. It's nice to see you two again after all.'', he smiled friendly at her via the rear mirror and she returned the gesture.

''There Kira! There's Hitsugaya-kun's house.'' The blonde pointed at the mansion that came more and more into view.

He slowed down the car until it stopped moving. ''Good luck, Hinamori-kun.''

''Thank you, Kira-kun. See you two later.'' She stepped out of the car and shut the car door.

''Just make sure you won't hurt him.''

She frowned and spun around to tell hi- Aaand he's gone. ''Not you too, Kira-kun.'', she groaned.

She walked up the porch steps and pressed the doorbell. She had a feeling today would be a good day. After the talk with Hitsugaya, she knew he really wasn't such a jerk she thought him to be, no, he was more of a little kid last night. A little kid that needed a bit of comfort from an older, more mature person!...Orrrr not. She was only a few months older than him and if we're talking about the level of maturity he'd still beat her.

''Click.''

She gripped the straps of bag tighter and smiled at the white-haired boy that opened the door for her. ''Come in.'' And so she did.

''Your parents both left sooner today?'', she asked as she walked behind him.

''Hmmm? Yeah, they have a meeting to attend to. Want some tea?'', he offered.

''That'd be nice. Sooooo, how are you feeling?'' She watched his every move.

''I thought Miss Sympathetic was on vacation?'' He poured the tea in the tea cup.

''This has nothing to do with sympathy, just...curiosity.'' She glanced to the side.

''So who was the person I was talking to last night? Miss Curiosity?'' He put the two cups on a silver tray and walked away from the kitchen with her following him.

''You're making it sound as if I have different personalities.'' She sat down, with him next to her.

''You don't?'' He took a sip from his cup and stared at her.

''I don't. In the beginning, I really did use to feel bad for those girls who were crying, because of you.'' She coughed a bit. ''The thing is... it just got old. Every darn week they would bawl, wail and whimper and in the end I just... didn't care anymore.''

''So why didn't you just tell them to back off and leave you alone?'' It's that simple, wasn't it?

''I'm not the same as you, Hitsugaya-kun. I couldn't do that, so instead I put up a show and pretended to be the girl they wanted me to be. One that was compassionate and understanding.''

''So we have something in common...'', he whispered inaudibly.

''Sorry, did you say something?''

He shook his head. ''No, your mind's just playing tricks on you.''

She raised an eyebrow and took the last sip of her tea. ''I have to d-''

''You still haven't answered my question. Who was I talking to last night?''

She faced him and a smile formed on her lips. ''You haven't answered mine either. How are you feeling?''

''That depends on your answer.''

''That so? Alright then, the girl you spoke with was...'' She paused, making sure his face filled with anticipation was engraved within her memories. ''Me.''

''...Oh.'', he responded lamely.

''Your enthusiasm is overwhelming.'', she said sarcastically. ''So... about my question.''

''I'm feeling fine. Thank you, Hinamori.''

''You're welcome, Hitsugaya-kun.'' She smiled at him before sta-

''Wait, is it alright if I... assist you today with the chores?'' He unconsciously grabbed her wrist.

''Eh? You don't have to help me, I can manage on my ow-'' She stopped herself. His teal eyes bored into her own and she saw something... something pleading? ''I mean, if you insist... sure.''

He smiled genuinely at her when he let her hand go. She couldn't help but smile back and picked up the tray. Who knows, maybe with his help she would get her work done faster.

''Oh, and Hinamori.''

''Yes?''

''Call me Toushiro.''

She stopped walking. Did she hear that correctly? If so, then why? They only had one moment last night and he already wanted her to call him by his first name? Unless he was family, Hinamori never called a boy by his first name. No matter how close she was with a guy, she just wouldn't, not even Kira and Abarai.

''I don-'' He gave her that pleading look again and, what's that? His lower lip was trembling too. Inwardly though, he was laughing at the raven-haired girl. She was totally falling for his 'sad' face.

''Tou..shiro.'', she mumbled, wishing that she had the ability to say no for once.

''Good. Now to be even, I'll call you Momo.'' He gave her a cheeky grin when the tray almost slipped out of her hands.

_'Are you serious?! Not even Rangiku-san calls me Momo and we're friggin' best friends. He can't jus-'_

''Momo.''

She blushed for what seemed to be the fifth time this day. Alright, she was having mixed feelings about this. On the other hand he's crossing the line, they're not even that close. Not even friends or maybe they were... can you be friends with someone in just one night? Then on the other hand, she felt that her name got a bit neglected. Her friends just called her Hinamori or in Kira's case, Hinamori-kun. So when Hitsugaya called her Momo...

''Can... can you repeat that?'', she asked a bit ashamed.

''Repeat what? It's your name, isn't it _Momo_?'', he emphasized her name.

It felt gratifying.

She gulped and fought back the blush that made its way back to her face. ''Yes. Yes, it is.''

He chuckled at the flustered girl. ''Now, it's my turn. Say my name.''

''W-why?'' She didn't really focus on him anymore. Inside her head she replayed him purring her name with that masculine voi- _'Get a grip, Momo! It's just a name and I'm already turning into a pervert!'_

''Because the first time you said it like 'Tou..shiro'. Now I want to hear it as a whole word.''

She bit her lower lip. ''Toushiro. Now happy?''

''Ecstatic.''

She didn't even wait for him to follow her as she dropped the tea cups in the sink.

_'Momo.'_

She really did feel like a pervert now. Her of all people. The girl who would run away as soon as she heard people talk about intimate stuff or nudity. And here she was, getting turned on by just hearing her name. So much for the embodiment of 'pure and innocent'. _'Rangiku-san must have influenced me.'_

''Hey, Momo. Slown down a little.''

There he goes again, saying her name as if they've been buddies since like forever.

''Huh? Oh, sorry.'' She didn't slow down, in fact, she walked even faster.

He shook his head, totally aware she was thinking about the way he pronounced her name. He decided to mess with her a bit, so he inched a little closer to the raven-haired girl and sultry whispered in her ear, ''_Momo_, if you would slow down a bit and let me move quicker instead, then I'm sure we can find a pace we both will enjoy.''

Her eyes widened as she scurried away from him, pressing her hand firmly against her ear. ''W-what?!''

He smirked. ''Too easy.''

* * *

**My Thanks To:**

**vi91312: Thank you! :) Karin, eh? Well, I could understand why you thought it would be her. I kind of, uh, chose somebody he actually had interaction with (sorta, I'm talking about chapters 591-594) in the manga. He and Karin never met each other, because filler episodes doesn't count in my opinion. A-anyway, I digress, thank you once again for for your kind review! :D**

**DaJellySubstance: Why, thank you! But I should let you know, you're the awesome one :D**

**ann: That's very nice of you! Thank you so much! I will keep updating every week until the last chapter of the story :D**

**Saxophone: I'm so glad that you liked the previous chapter! I don't even know what words to use to express my gratitude, because seriously, your reviews are just so pleasant to read :D**

**growl-growl: *Salutes* Message (or actually review) received loud and clear! For I have updated one day after your command! :D**


	10. Chapter 10: Day 5 Part 2

**Author's Note: ...Huh. This chapter is twice as long as my regular ones.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not feeling very creative with the disclaimer today. So here's a simple 'I don't own Bleach'.**

* * *

**Chapter 10 Day 5 Part 2**

''So did yesterday's episode of 'Je ne t'aime pas' conclude your little bet with Matsumoto?'' he asked as he sat down on the bench swing.

They finished watering the plants, with Hitsugaya saying nothing and Hinamori grumbling about the gardener and his stupid standards. Then Hitsugaya shut her up by splashing some water on her with the watering can. Before she could ask him why the heck he did, he splashed her some more.

Hinamori dried her hair with a towel the white-haired boy gave her. He offered her some dry clothes and she accepted, though she was a bit reluctant when he came back with one of his shirts. She asked him for some trousers too, but he refused saying that his were too big for her and he wasn't allowed near his mother's closet. She replied that she didn't mind wearing one of his trousers, she could always roll them up. He told her he won't let her abuse his clothes like that.

''Yeah, I won.'' She tried to stretch the shirt to cover her upper legs as much as possible. ''And would you stop staring at my legs? That's inappropiate behaviour right there.''

''I'm not staring. I'm examining. There's a difference.''

''And you're examining my legs because?''

''Because they're longer than I thought, with you being a short girl and all.''

''...We're about the same height.'', she pointed out. She could also add that she was the taller one, but she knew how sensitive he was about his, umm, shortness?

''So you won the bet, huh?'' He ignored her.

''I already told you, yes I won. Rangiku-san has to ask Hisagi-san out.''

''Hisagi? That's not going to be a date. That's going to be Matsumoto walking around downtown with him following her like a dog on a leash.'' He paused for a moment. ''I take that back, he doesn't even need a leash. He's gonna follow her no matter what.''

She crossed her arms. ''It still counts as a date.''

''According to you and Hisagi... Does this mean you're not going to watch the show anymore?''

She shrugged her shoulders. ''Pretty much. Sure, I like the pairing, but the plot is garbage.''

''So what are you going to do with your free time now?''

''Aren't we just full of questions today?'', she laughed. ''I'm going to reread my manga... for the seventh time. In fact, I brought it with me.''

She revealed some volumes out of her bag and handed it over to Hitsugaya. He flipped through the pages with some interest.

''Why would you read it again if you already know what's going to happen?''

''Umm...? Maybe I like the characters? Maybe I adore the art? Maybe I enjoy the story? Maybe I'm trying to understand what the heart is?''

''The heart? As in an organ?'' He raised an eyebrow.

''It's more of a figure of speach.'', she explained.

''Can you give me a summary or something?''

''Well, a girl got kidnapped by this emotionless guy and her friends are trying to save her, including the guy she loves. Oh, and they have a thing with hearts."

He sighed. "Let me guess, he threatens to kill her and her friends."

"Kind of. He told her that her friends attempting to save her was futile and that they're going to die anyway and if she wouldn't eat he would force the food down her throat. Oh, and once he asked her if he would find the heart if he cracked her skull open or if he her ripped out her chest."

"Wow. He doesn't sound too fond of her."

"About that... It turns out he was affectionate of her."

"Then how about this. In order to win her heart, he let her go and became a good guy?"

"Nope. It turnes out her heart has been in the palm of his hand the whole time! Aaaand then he turned into dust after fighting her savior/love interest."

He stared at her sceptically. "Seriously, in the palm of his hand? How does that even make sense?"

Hinamori tilted her head to him. "I've no idea, that's why I'm rereading the manga, but it's still beyond my comprehension. Rangiku-san said it's very deep and meaningful and that I shouldn't dwell on it so much."

"She's right. You shouldn't. The guy sounds like a psychopath."

"Even so, lots of people like to ship her with him. I think the pairing is rather cute. Before he died, that is."

Hitsugaya stared at her with his poker face. "I'm beginning to question your taste in... everything." He gave her volumes back to her.

"Humph, there's nothing wrong with my taste.'', she retorted.

''You had a crush on a serial killer.''

''You had one on a man without you knowing it.''

He shook his head. ''That's in the past, Momo. The past. We should focus on the future.''

''I rather focus on the present and the present tells me that my uniform is dry by now. I'm going to iron it.'' She slid off the bench.

He followed her movement. "Now?"

"Of course. You can't expect me to walk around wearing your shirt the whole time, can you?'', she laughed.

''I don't mind.''

She stopped laughing. Oookay. He's acting strange. Real strange. A bit too strange. She cleared her throat and walked inside the mansion.

When they made it to the laundry room a 'click' could be heard from downstairs. Hitsugaya told her that his parents must be home earlier than usual and said that he would go see them while she ironed her clothes. She agreed and now she's here. Alone. She took his shirt off and put on her uniform, glad that he's not here with her now. Though she did like the idea of befriending him, she also thought that it's all going too fast. Yes, she did enjoy his company today and was grateful he helped her. However, she couldn't shake the feeling there's more behind his behaviour when he's with her. Something unsettling.

_'I'm overthinking things. He is probably still upset about Giselle and needs someone right now to make him feel better. Yeah, that must be it.'_

Hinamori checked the clock. It's 6 P.M and 30 minutes, she's done for today and can go home. She smiled, at least she didn't have to go home when it's too dark outside. She climbed down the stairs and there she saw the Hitsugaya's smiling at her. She smiled back. Were they waiting for her?

''Ah, Hinamori-san! Another day you do your work perfectly! No complaints at all!'' The man walked over to her with his wife. ''To show our thanks, we want you to dine with us.''

She smiled, but refused. ''Thank you sir, but you don't have to thank me. I'm happy enough to hear you praising my work.''

''Nonsense, Hinamori-san.'' The woman spoke this time. ''You're dining with us and that's that.''

''We've already made preparations. You can't refuse.'', the youngest Hitsugaya butted in.

She felt the same sensation from the day when she accepted to work for them. Pressure. ''It'd be an honor.'', she muttered under her breath.

The parents nodded, approving her reply and then walked towards the kitchen. Hitsugaya smirked at the troubled raven-haired girl and placed his hands on her shoulders.

''It's not going to be that bad. My mother is a great cook, you know.''

She lifted her head to look at him. Was he the one trying to comfort her now? She smiled at him with gratitude. Perhaps she was wrong about him all along. Sure, at school he wasn't the most friendliest person, but that was because he got hunted down by his fangirls. If he didn't act like a jerk they would throw themselves at him even more than they did before. And sure he's a bit of a brat with her, but that he makes up for that by acting all mature around other people. Yes, he's really just a nice guy, he just won't show it to everyone.

''Thank you, Toushiro.'' She giggled when she saw a slight blush on his cheeks.

''You're welcome, _Momo_.''

And she stopped giggling. Would he stop saying her name like that? Or is it she who only can hear him saying her name in that... voice. She hoped it wasn't the last option or she really was a bigger pervert than she thought she was.

''_Momo_, you're spacing out again.''

It was the last option. Oh, well at least she learned something else about herself today. As long as Matsumoto doesn't find out she should be just fiiiiiine.

''It's annoying, _Mo_-''

''I-I am not spacing out! A-anyway, we shouldn't make your parents wait.'', she stuttered.

He eyed her suspiciously and then grabbed her hand to lead her to the dining room. Hinamori was quiet, staring at their joined hands. The unsettling feeling returned.

''So! How was your day, Toushiro, Hinamori-san?'' The man grinned at them.

''It was good.'', the raven-haired girl replied politely.

''I helped her with her chores today.'', his son reponded in a bored tone.

''You... helped her?'' His mother just gaped at her son as she dropped her fork on her plate. He actually helped someone. Toushiro. 'The boy who would always scare people away' Toushiro. Since when was that a thing?

''Yes, I did. Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I've never lent someone a hand before.''

''That's exactly what it's like... Hinamori-san, did you do something to him?'' She now turned to the girl who was eating.

''No, it was on his own free will.'' She reached out for the glass of water.

His own free will? Now the woman was sure there was something wrong about her son. She looked at her husband and exchanged glances. He coughed.

''Now Hinamori-san, this is your third day working here and yet... We don't know anything about you.''

She swallowed her food. ''Oh... uh, I'm not that interesting really. I live together with my best friend and I'm going to university next Monday. That's all I can let you know that's remotely interesting about me, I'm afraid.''

''Ah, maybe tell us about your boyfriend? Surely, a gorgeous young lady such as yourself can't possibly be single.'' He wiped his mouth clean with a napkin.

She blushed at the compliment. Her and gorgeous? No way. She's too plain, admittedly a tad cute, but no more than that. ''I don't have a boyfriend, sir.''

''A girlfriend?'' He studied her shocked expression.

''No! I mean, I'm just not looking.'' She focused on her plate. Why did she have to become the topic?

''Not looking? Don't you want to be loved?''

''I'm content with my friends and family.'', she answered stonily. He was asking personal questions and she didn't like that.

He shook his head and laughed. ''You're still too young to understand, aren't you?''

Understand what? Love? Hinamori was a plain girl, but because she was so amiable, plenty of guys confessed their love to her. She rejected them, saying she rather stayed friends and they complied most of the time and if they didn't, they'd still be at good terms with each other. Did they really love her? She was convinced they didn't. If they did then what did they love her like? Love her as a friend? As a classmate? As an acquaintance? Perhaps they were in love with the concept of loving her. No. Love was nothing but a mere empty word.

''I guess I am.'' She took another sip of her water.

Their conversation eventually changed to a different topic and they continued dining like that for the next twenty minutes until...

''Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.''

''Dear, I believe that's the phone. Are you going to answer?'' The woman asked her partner. He nodded and excused himself when he left the room. ''I'm going to collect the plates now and oh goodness, Toushiro fell asleep.'' She looked at her son and heaved a sigh. ''Hinamori-san, would you mind waking him up?'' She received a nod and walked out of the room while carrying the dirty plates.

Hinamori shook his shoulder and whispered, ''Toushiro, you shouldn't fall asleep. Not here. Go to bed.''

He slowly opened his eyes and stifled a yawn. ''Walk with me to my room.''

She stared at him blankly. ''...Pardon me, but I believe I've misheard you.''

''I'm tired. I feel as if I literally can fall asleep any second now.'' He gave her a sly smile. "If you don't support me, there'll be a chance I'll fall down the stairs. All because of you. You don't want that on your concious, do you?''

Did she though? It's not her fault that he's so sleepy. The girl sighed. ''Come here.'' But she also didn't want to risk him falling down the stairs when she could prevent it. She wrapped his right arm over her shoulder and her left arm around his waist for support. They exited the dining room and when they climbed the stairs Hinamori saw that it was already dark outside. So much for taking a bus home without creepy people hanging around ready to mug you. Alright, she was exaggerating, she never saw those people when she went home for the past few days. But hey, better careful than careless.

She unlocked his bedroom door and walked inside. She gently lay him on his bed and wished him sweet dreams or she tried to. He kinda pulled her into the bed with him. She just blinked with her eyes, her mind processing what just happend. So she lay in bed with Hitsugaya embracing her small figure tightly. Very tightly. He wasn't planning to let her go anytime soon. Nope. When she finally snapped out of her confusion she tried to pry the male off her. If Matsumoto giving her a death hug this morning wasn't bad enough.

''I told you I'm stronger than you.'', he murmured, nuzzling into her neck.

''I don't care! This is wrong and you know it. Now. Let. Me. Go.'' She still tried to break free from his arms. Bad move. He responded by hugging her even tighter if that was even possible.

''No.''

''Why?! What good will come out of me sleeping with you?''

''You don't have to sleep. You're going to help me fall asleep.''

''...Eh?''

''Your warmth and sweet fragrance makes me drowsy. It's nice.''

She blushed as his warm breath tickled her skin and she sighed. ''This is still a bad idea.'', she mumbled when she rested her chin on his head, hugging him back as she felt him smile against her neck.

''Good night, Momo.''

''Sweet dreams, Toushiro.''

* * *

Two hours passed and Hinamori, who was now no longer napping heard voices coming from the other side of the door. The sound was muffled, but one thing was clear. They were talking about her. She sneaked a peek from Hitsugaya who was in a deep slumber. It's time to leave. She stepped off the bed while making sure she wouldn't stir him awake. His breathing was steady and deep. Good. She tiptoed towards the door, unlocked it almost soundlessly and made her way out.

''I know that, but it's just.. you've heard her. She doesn't want to be in a relationship.''

Hinamori stopped moving. _'That's the room of his parents.'_

''She doesn't know what she wants. Toushiro was helping her. Toushiro!'' Hinamori couldn't see the woman, but one could imagine she was flailing her arms around wildly.

''I know, I know. But it is what it is. She's still too young to understand the meaning of love.''

''She's eighteen. She knows what it is, if not already experienced it. We fell in love with each other when we were twelve years old.''

''She's not the same as us. Let's just forget it. By the end of this week she won't work for us anymore and our son will be the same. Trust me.''

''But...''

''But what, my dear?''

''They're just so adorable together!''

Hinamori groaned. His mother, the oh so refined lady, was just an older version of Matsumoto. Not caring to hear the rest of their pointless conversation, she walked away from the door. The raven-haired girl thanked the moon for its light that was shining through the windows, for she would stumble down the stairs without it. The front door was just a few meters away. One step. Two steps. Three st-

''Where do you think you're going?'', a voice echoed throughout the hall.

There he stood leaning against the pillar, only a few meters away from her.

_'Déjà vu.'_

''Toushiro? Why aren't you sleeping in your room?'' She was sure she didn't wake him.

''I could ask you the same thing. Why aren't you sleeping in my room with me?''

''I'm going home. Rangiku-san must be worried.''

''No, you're staying here. It's the middle of the night.''

''I'm leaving.'' She knew it was safer to stay here, but still. The look he gave her...

''No, you won't.''

She frowned and turned away from him. She grabbed the door handle and pulled it... It didn't work. She pushed it this time... Also didn't work. She used more force and eventually ignored the door handle as she slammed her body against the door to open it. Nothing helped.

She heard a chuckle behind her. _'Hitsugaya-kun.'_ ''Toushiro, what is going on?''

''What does it look like, _Momo_?''

A shiver ran down her spine. No, this was not the time for those thoughts. Her dark brown eyes glowered at his teal ones. ''Open the door.''

''Hmmm... Last time I checked, you're not my boss. So no, I won't.''

''I'm not scared of the dark, Toushiro. I also know how to defend myself so you don't have to worry if some random creep tries to lay his hands on me.''

''Silly girl. I couldn't care less about any of that.'', he laughed quietly.

''Then what? Why won't you let me leave?'' She didn't like the vibe she was getting from him.

''Remember what I told you last night? I don't want to be alone.''

She clicked her tongue. ''You're not alone. You have your parents who are probably asking themselves what the heck is going on downstairs.''

''They're too focused on their paperwork to notice what's going on in the house.'' He took a step towards her. ''And you misunderstood, I'm talking about the other kind of loneliness.''

She took a step back. '_He's talking crazy talk. What kind of people wouldn't hear the noise we're making? And what is h-_

**_''For the first time in my life, I got to experience how it felt to like someone romantically. It was... nice.''_**

No. No. No, no, no. No flippin' way. Just no.

''Heeeeey, Toushiro. You're not", she coughed, "interested in me, right?.'' He couldn't be. They never spoke to each other at school and she has only been working here for three days. In that short span of time it's no-

''I am.'' He took another step towards her. True, he knows little to nothing about the girl who was standing a few footsteps away, looking at him with a very tense expression. But it's not just her. He never interacted with girls willingly as he always avoided them as best as he could. However, when he met Giselle he found out that it was nice to have someone around. That is was nice knowing how an infatuation felt like. It was great. Then emptiness took over when he found out it was all just a lie and he detested it, wanting to get the warm and fuzzy feeling back. He ran away from Giselle back to his house and hid himself underneath his blanket, moping. A few minutes later someone knocked on his door and unsurprisingly, it was Hinamori. He didn't want her pity or so he thought, but she didn't pity him. She listened to him, tried to cheer him up by telling him that she used to crush on a serial killer... Kind of a strange way to make someone feel better. Then she hugged him and he liked it. A lot. It gave him that warm and fuzzy back he loved so much. And it was Hinamori who gave him that feeling, the girl who's taking a step away from him right now.

She shook her head while she spoke, ''I'm sorry, but I don't like you that way.''

''A minor bump on the road. Nothing that can't be fixed.'' Two steps forward.

''If your definition of 'fixing' means I'll fall for you eventually then you're fixing it the wrong way by keeping me locked here.'' Three steps back.

''You don't have to fall for me. As long as I have you within my vicinity 24/7, I don't care.'' Four steps forward.

''That isn't a very healthy relationship. For you and for me.'' Five steps back.

''An unhealthy relationship it is. '' Seven steps forward.

''I once tried to kick your 'jewels' out of pure rage not too long ago! Any red flags? Any at all?'' Ten steps back.

''I'll take the liberty to pretend that's just one of those 'If I can't have it, nobody can' kind of thing.'' Fifteen steps forward.

''Y-you're insane!'' She spun around and ran away fom him.

''Don't worry, you'll grow accustomed to it.'' He casually strolled after her.

* * *

The back door. There's a back door. Her way out. She panted heavily, gasping for air. She has been running non-stop all the way around the mansion. She was almost there. Just a little bit mo-

'click'

Her eyes widened. What? What was that sound?

''Poor thing, you must be exhausted running around like that.'' His voice echoed. ''You can't escape, Momo. Not when you're inside my house.'' She could hear him come closer.

She ran the opposite direction. Why did she run? Was she scared? If she was, who was she scared of? Hitsugaya? No, he wasn't scary. He was nuts and Hinamori was told to always stay away from nutty people. She sped up the stairs and soon her footsteps and panting resounded through the hallway. He was right, she was exhausted.

''click'' ''click'' ''click'' ''click'' ''click''

She whipped her head to the large windows, wanting to know what this mechanical clicking noise was. She was shocked. Everytime she was near a window it automatically locked itself. She turned around the corner and entered the first room she could find. It was the laundry room. She was sleepy, tired and frustrated. He wasn't joking when he said she couldn't escape, the mansion wouldn't let her. Not trusting her wobbly legs, Hinamori slowly fell down on her knees. She then lifted her head in the dark room... and she frowned. The mirrors reflected something flickering. She crawled closer and closer to the mirror and saw as a result that the flickering light also moved closer... It was her. Hinamori could see her reflection, because of the little light. The light came from her hairclip, which she then removed, causing a part of her bangs to fall out of place and cover her face.

**_''And this is your uniform. The hairclip is part of it, so make sure to wear it when you're here. Always.''_**

_'A sensor?'_

She stood up and dropped the accessory on the ground. The next second, she crushed it with her feet.

* * *

**My Thanks To:**

**leafpool5: Thank you for the suggestion! :) I wasn't even aware that it looked like he was flirting with her to be honest. I wanted to use your suggestion, but then it turned out differently... somehow.**


	11. Chapter 11: Day 6 Part 1

**Author's Note: Yes, I'm only writing this note for the sake of writing an author's note.**

**Disclaimer: I guess the secret is out. It's true, I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

**Chapter 11 Day 6 Part 1**

''Hinamori! Time to get up!''

Matsumoto slammed the door open and... saw nobody in the raven-haired girl's room. A mischievious smile made it to her lips, _'So she stayed the night there, huh.'_

The blonde walked to the living room, dialing a phone number. She twirled her wavy hair with her index finger waiting for the other person to pick up.

''Shuuhei? Yeah it's me, Rangiku.''

''Rangiku-san?!Omygoodness,it'sreallyyou!Ican'tbelieveyou'recallingme,Imean,whenit'ssoearlyonthemorning!Howwasyourdreamlastnight?!'', he blabbered.

''Me, oh I had a great dream. Thanks for asking.''

''Good!WhatdoImeangood?!Amazing,yes,that'sthewordI'mlookingfor!Ionlywantyoutohavethemostamazingdreamsever,ofcourse!Speakingofdreams,lastnightIdreamtwe-''

''Shuuhei. Stop talking. I called you for a reason, and it isn't because I wanted to hear about the fantasies you have.'' She was impressed though, how could he talk like that without taking a breath?

''O-oh. I'm sorry.''

''Good boy. So, I want to go out with you.''

Time stopped for Hisagi.''...G-go out as in a date kind of go out?!''

''Yes, that one.''

She heard the young male breathe slowly. ''...Excuse me for a second.''

Matsumoto could hear him scream from her cell phone, an arm length away from her ear. ''Shuuhei! You're too loud! TOO LOUD!''

''I'm so sorry, but I've never thought this day would come! Not that I was hoping for you to ask me on a date, I mean.'' He added the last part with haste.

She stared at her nails, maybe she should paint them again? ''Uh-huuuuuh, just pick me up. When? Uhh.. now?''

She hung up before he could scream again. The poor guy was just crushing so hard on her... She probably should have told him that they were going on a date as friends. Yeaaah, that she should have done indeed. She checked her cell phone. 7.30 A.M and Hinamori still isn't back. Knowing the raven-haired girl's biological clock she should have been awake 30 minutes ago... Maybe she's eating breakfast? No. She would go straight back to home, not wanting to intrude on his parents any longer. Matsumoto called the girl on speed dial, slightly worried.

_'She also just could have started working after she woke up... Still..'_

''ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ'' a vibrating sound came from behind her.

There on the kitchen counter lay a cell phone encased in a cover of a peachy colour. It's Hinamori's. Really now, she always leaves the door with this thing with at the end nobody calling her and when someone does try to call her she forgets to bring her cell phone with her. She swore she wasn't doing this on purpose, but her friends had their doubts.

She sighed. She would have to check up on the girl after her date with Hisagi. Speaking of the guy, she was certain it was him who was now frantically pounding on the door. The blonde threw her bag over her shoulders, all ready to go.

''Rangiku-san! I-I, uhh, am on time, am I?'' The spikey-haired male asked, his voice a bit raspy from all the screaming.

''Yes, Shuuhei and relax, it's just me. I'm not going to bite you or anything.'' She nudged his elbow with a wink.

''AHAHAHAHAHAHA! You're so hilarious! Biting me! Classic!'' He laughed awkwardly. Awkward for Matsumoto that is. He's having the best time of his life.

''...Alright. Let's have some fun, shall we?'' She hooked her arm with his and they walked to his car.

''So, erm, I didn't see Hinamori with you. Is she still working for that Hitsugaya kid?'' His eyes were focused on the road. Good thing too, if he would even spare a glance at the beauty who was seated next to him he would be captivated and go numb. It'd be dangerous for everyone.

''Who says she's working for him?''

''Kira, Abarai, Kuchiki and... you. In fact, you were the first person who told me, shouting that you're OTP came true.''

Her face turned serious. ''I ship them so hard.''

Matsumoto has shipped a lot of people in her life, but never has she ever shipped a pairing this passionately before. The first time she saw Hinamori the world stopped moving when she visioned the girl standing next to Hitsugaya. Raven hair next to white hair. A warm personality next to a cold personality. Summer next to winter. They fulfilled that whole 'opposites completing each other' thing as corny as that sounded. And Matsumoto was a sucker for corny things.

''So it's true.''

''Yup. She didn't even came back last night, maybe she and Hitsugaya-kun, you know, had some 'quality time' together.'' Oh, how she wished that was the case.

''Quality time? Rangiku-san, we're talking about Hinamori. 'I hate Hitsugaya' Hinamori.'' It was always people like him who tried to discourage her and her OTP.

''Oh hush. She doesn't hate him. She wouldn't spend the night in the same house with someone she hated.''

''Yes, she would. That girl is good at keeping her hatred towards someone secret.''

She huffed. He wouldn't listen to her. Oh well, she didn't listen to him either. The rest of their morning went as the following, she went shopping and he carried her bags. They took a break and then went shopping again. Hitsugaya predicted right, she was the owner and Hisagi was the hopeless male on a leash.

''Rangiku-san, what's wrong?'' They were in the car again, off to their next destination and Matsumoto was fidgeting.

''Hinamori. I wonder how she's doing.'' She bit her lower lip. Even though the short girl didn't have her phone with her, she could've called the blonde using Hitsugaya's one. However, it's now mid afternoon and still nothing. Nothing from her roommate.

''Left.''

''Huh?''

''Take the next turn left.''

''But the zoo i-''

''Left, Shuuhei. Don't make me repeat myself again.''

''Bu-''

He looked at her and she glared at him. Glared him right in the soul. Piercing it in the center. Spreading like venom until it completely petrifie-

''T-The left you say?'' He received a nod.

She gave him further directions to Hitsugaya's mansion. He questioned her and she simply replied by saying she left something there and wanted to pick it up. She opened the back of the car and instinctively pulled out a large suitcase she bought for no particular reason. Well, it was on sale. That's a reason, right? Right.

''Wait here, I'll be back soon.''

She didn't hear his response as she hurried to the door. She rang the bell and waited impatiently, tapping on the ground with her feet. It opened, but only ajar.

''Matsumoto? Funny, I was thinking about going to your apartment today.'' She identified the voice as Hitsugaya's one.

She smiled, not that he could see it since he was looking away from her. ''Why? To visit Hinamori"?

''...''

''You're not denying it!'' Her smile grew wider, he liked her friend. Her friend... ''Hitsugaya-kun, she didn't came back last night and I don't know where she is. Do you have any knowledge of her whereabouts?''

''I can honestly say that I don't.'' His voice was bitter. ''I can't believe it...''

Wanting to speak with him eye to eye she pulled the door more open. He looked stressed, unlike his usual composed self, and... curious. He pointed at her suitcase, ''What's that for?''

''This? Oh, I've bought some clothes for her and put in here so she could try them on. Way handier than bags.'', she lied. Not about the suitcase being handier part, that was true.

''So much for driving all the way to my house for that when she's not here.''

''This place has countless rooms for her to be in. You must have missed some.''

''I told you, she's not here. I searched every nook and cranny.''

''Every nook and cranny, eh? I'll see about that.'' She pushed him aside and made her way in. Hinamori must be here. The blonde didn't know where to look elsewhere if she wasn't. Was she being paranoid? Hinamori is responsible and old enough to do whatever she wants. She wasn't obligated to tell anyone where she was, with who she was, what she was doing or how long she'd be gone. Matsumoto shook her head, clearing her mind. No, it's normal for her to worry. She was her precious friend after all.

She started her own search upstairs and looked inside every room she could find. Then she climbed another set of stairs searching the rooms on that floor and then climbed another. Her hope of finding the girl crumbling apart bit by bit. Feeling hot from all the walking and searching, she opened a window. Letting the breeze cool her off, she looked outside.

Her view consisted of Hitsugaya's garden and she admired the cherry trees that were blossoming, their petals swaying with the wind. They say that the blossom symbolizes a new beginning and she agreed. The day after tomorrow, she and her friends would go to university, beginning the schoolyear with a fresh start. They would make new friends, with bad luck some enemies, go through hardships, but they would it together. All of it. She really was a sucker for corny things.

She walked downstairs with her suitcase, unconciously heading towards the garden. Hitsugaya asked her if she found anything when she passed him, but she remained quiet, lost in her own world. Opening the gates, she followed the path to the arbour, wanting to swing on the bench asking herself what she should do next.

The white-haired boy walked back and forth, his mind all over the place. Last night he searched for the raven-haired girl, but when she couldn't be spotted anymore on his radar... Let's just say he freaked out. Hard. Even harder when he searched through every room in his house. That's when he found the hairclip in the laundry room, crushed to smithereens. Frustrated, he started tugging at his hair. Why did he have to be all like 'I'll give her a headstart' when playing 'hide and seek' with her? He searched for Hinamori all night long, afraid that if he slept she would use that opportunity to get away. His parents asked him if he was feeling well and he wanted to laugh at them. Of course he wasn't well, but he would be if he found that frigging girl. He saw Matsumoto walking to the front door with her head down. So she haven't found her either...

''I told you she's not here.''

''...'' She stood there with her back facing him and the door half open. She wanted to say something, but instead she left him.

''Rangiku-san! What took you so long?'' The young male with the obscene tattoo asked loudly.

''I told you. I left something in his house and wanted to pick it up. It just took me a lot of time to find it.'' She shoved the suitcase in the car with all the caution and care she could manage.

''What was it that you were looking for?''

''Drive us to my apartment.'', she commanded, disregarding his question. Hisagi being well...Hisagi, stared at her for a while, but then shrugged his shoulders deciding to let it slide. He started the engine and off they were.

Three minutes after driving, Matsumoto maneuverd her body to the suitcase that rested on the back seats and zipped it open. ''You can come out now.''

''Huh?'' Hisagi who was still driving was a bit confused as to why the blonde beauty was talking to an inanimate object.

A small hand crawled out of the opening, then a head. ''H-Hinamori!?'' The young man was even more confused now as he witnessed the short girl struggle to get out of the suitcase via the rear mirror. She breathed relieved once she was free and gave him a shaky laugh.

''Hi, Hisagi-san. How are you doing?'' She combed her hair with her fingers.

''Pretty good actually. Rangiku-san and I went on a date. Then she wanted to retrieve something from Hitsugaya, turns out she was talking about you.'' He saw her flinch at the white-haired boy's name. ''Hinamori?''

''No, I'm fine... How was your date?''

''It was great, Shuuhei is such a gentleman. He carried all my bags for me without hesitation when I asked him to!'' The blonde smiled brightly at him and he blushed.

''It was nothin- No, wait! We shouldn't be talking about this! Hinamori, what happend to you?''

''It's nothing, really. Just Toushiro being a total creep trying to keep me locked inside his house.'' They words left her mouth nonchalantly, but with a bitter undertone.

''How? Did he lock all the doors in advance?'', Hisagi asked, still shocked by the fact that Hinamori could fit in a suitcase. Yes, the thing was big but still. Wow.

''No, the hairclip his father gave me activated the security system automatically. When I got rid of the darn thing I went to the garden, making sure to avoid Toushiro who freakin' locked the deadbolts of the front and back doors. Oh, and padlocks. Lots and lots of padlocks. I planned to rest in the garden until I thought he gave up and went to bed so I could talk to his parents, but instead I... fell asleep behind some bushes.'' Oh Hitsugaya, he searched everywhere but the garden. He would probably hit his head against the wall if he finds out, cursing his stupidity. A sight that Hinamori wouldn't mind seeing right now and with that her face changed to a sadistic one. With a smile she imagined his head bleedi-

''Hinamori...'' Matsumoto didn't know what to say. She was dumbstruck when she heard a certain part of the other girl's sentence.

The younger girl jumped a little when she heard the blonde's voice and was surprised by her gory thoughts... Did she really want to see Hitsugaya hurt? _'Geez, what's wrong with me?! First I dislike him, then I start to like him and now I'm fantasizing about him spurting blood?!' _She leaned back into her seat.

Hisagi noticed the girl staring tiredly out of the window. ''Don't worry, Hinamori. We have to let the oth-''

''Hinamori, could you repeat what you said before?'', Matsumoto asked. Did she hear the raven-haired girl correctly?

Glancing at her friend who was looking at her with wide eyes, she spoke, "...Sure. I went to the garden, avoiding Toushiro becau-

"I KNEW IT! YOU'RE CALLING HITSUGAYA-KUN BY HIS FIRST NAME!", the blonde interrupted her, squealing gleefully.

''...Rangiku-san. Just don't.'', the other two said shaking their head.

''Hey, Hinamori... It might be better if you came back working for the bakery. I'm sure they would love to have you return sooner.'', the young male told her.

''I hope so. I'm not going anywhere near that mansion ever again.''

''Hinamori... Hitsuga-'' the blonde got cut off.

''Save your words for another time. For example... never. That sounds about right.''

Hisagi dropped the girls off. The elevator got repaired and they were grateful, both having enough of stairs. Hinamori took off her shoes and put on a pair of slippers. After that, she trudged to the bathroom. Not having her teeth brushed last night, let alone a shower, made her feel disgusted of herself. Matsumoto looked at her with pity and guilt. Hinamori taking the job was partly her fault and now the poor girl was looking horrible with her hair all tousled, her uniform full of creases and her posture very tired.

The raven-haired girl opened the bathroom door, steam escaping behind her. She dried her wet hair with a towel and was met with a delicious smell. ''Rangiku-san?''

''I'm in the kitchen! I figured you'd be hungry, so I made us a meal!'', she shouted.

Hinamori softened her eyes. This was Matsmoto's way of saying sorry, even though she wasn't mad at the blonde.

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**My Thanks To:**

**gamma2015: Thank you! :)**

**Vi ChaN91312: Ehehehe... It was indeed not a joke nor a dream. I hope this update was fast enough! :D**

**leafpool5: Thank you again for suggesting another idea! :D This time I used it the right way! ...I hope.**

**Saxophone: Thank you so, so very much. I really appreciate your kind reviews! :D Oh, and YES! I shall forever support HitsuHina!**

**Ninjaboy250: ...W-well, I guess this chapter answered your question!**


	12. Chapter 12: Day 6 Part 2

**Author's Note: ...**

**Disclaimer: Happy, Kubo? Happy that I don't own your precious Bleach? Ah, who am I kidding. He doesn't even know this story exists, or me for that matter.**

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**Chapter 12 Day 6 Part 2**

''Haaaaaaaah... I'm stuffed!'' The blonde rubbed her belly with both of her hands.

''Me too. You're suprisingly good at cooking, Rangiku-san.'', Hinamori said as she held in a yawn. She craved for her bed, her warm and fluffy bed.

The blonde frowned. ''What do you mean 'surprisingly'?''

''...Nothing.'' How many steps from the livingroom to her bedroom? Oooh, but the carpet isn't that bad either. Yes, it's a pretty good substitute for her bed.

Matsumoto frowned deeper. ''Uh-huuuuuh.'' She didn't know why, but she was always told her food preferences were off. At least she had Ichimaru who shared her love for dried persimmons. Perhaps she should call him, it's been a while since the last time she heard his voice.

They were lying on the fluffy carpet, the same way they did the first day they started living here. Only this time they weren't exhausted and covered in sweat. Hinamori was really sleepy though, so very sleepy...

''Hinamori?'' The blonde rolled to her side, facing the younger girl who almost closed her eyes.

''Yeah?'' She stared at the white ceiling above them.

Matsumoto inched a little closer to the tired girl. ''Do you hate him?''

Hinamori glanced at the blonde shortly before staring back at the same spot of the ceiling. ''Do I hate who?''

''Don't play dumb. You know who.''

She gave it some thought. It was so easy to say 'yes' and come up with arguments why. ''No.''

''You still don't know who kind of no or I don't hate him kind of no.'' The blonde just really wanted to know. It's not a nice thought to have both of your best friends hate each other. Especially if you ship them.

''I don't hate him kind of no. I told Abarai-kun, remember? I don't hate anyone.'' So very easy to hate him indeed. So easy and yet she's too tired to feel such an intense emotion.

Matsumoto sighed relieved, but then asked her another question. ''...Then what do you feel for him?''

''Nothing.'' She didn't answer it completely truthfully. She did feel something for him, but she wasn't quite sure what. It was very confusing and she wasn't in the mood to rack her brain over it.

''You feel nothing for him, yet you call him by his first name?'' Uh-oh, Matsumoto got suspicious.

''Yes.'' She also rolled to her side to face her busty friend. ''Are you done with your questions?''

''No, I still want to know some things.''

Hinamori closed her eyes. Give her a blanket and a pillow and she would probably fall asleep, but only if Matsumoto would stop poking her arm. ''I'll answer one more and that's that.''

''Does he call you Momo?'', the blonde asked as she gave the younger girl one last poke.

''Yes.''

''Why? I know him longer than you and he still calls me Matsumoto.'' She pouted.

''Ask him, not me.'' She rolled to her other side.

''Hinamori, I think you should talk to him. When I saw him he looked panicked.'', she said slightly worried as she recalled his expression when he opened the door.

The drowsy girl giggled. ''Serves him right.''

''Hinamori!''

''I will.''

''...Eh?''

''I will talk to him.'' She did want some answers from the white-haired boy and talking to him seemed to be the only way to acquire them.

The blonde softened her eyes. ''When?''

''Who knows? Could be today, tomorrow, the day after that day or the day after that one...'', she trailed off. In reality, she let it depend on him. If he wanted to talk she'd be open for it. If he didn't want to talk... she was fine with that too.

''Riiiiiing!'' ''Riiiiiing!'' ''Riiiiiing!''

''Who will answer the phone?.'' The blonde had almost forgotten they have a home phone.

''Let's leave it on voicemail.'', the raven-haired girl suggested. They were both feeling lazy anyway.

''Beeep.''

''Hinamori?''

She froze. _'Toushiro?'_

''Why just you? Did he forget I also live here? W-''

''Shhhh!'', she hushed the sulking older girl.

'' So Abarai, Kuchiki, Hisagi and Kira came to my house today. They were really pissed.''

_'No, duh.'_ She mentally rolled her eyes. What else did he expect from them to be? Happy?

''I slammed the door shut, when I did I heard Abarai whining how it hit his nose.''

Both of the girls sighed. Oh, Abarai.

''That's also when I heard you somehow made your way back home. I'm guessing Matsumoto's the one who helped you.''

''That I did.'', the blonde spoke softly.

''What I'm trying to say is, I don't need anyone to lecture me what I did was wrong. I know that already, it's just...''

With a sigh, Hinamori stood up and walked to the device. Matsumoto raised her eyebrow wondering what the raven-haired girl was up to.

''Hinamori... I-'' She picked up the phone.

''Toushiro.'', she said promptly.

''...! Hina-''

''Idiot, it's not Hinamori. It's Momo.'', she spoke in a scolding manner, unable to keep the amusement from her voice. Why was she amused? She wasn't quite sure herself.

''...I was under the assumption you wouldn't want me to call you that, after uhh..''

''My name is enough neglected as it is. If nobody calls me Momo, then I might as well change my name to Hinamori Hinamori.'' Which wouldn't be such a bad idea, it would give her the illusion that people actually called her by her first name.

She heard him laugh quietly. ''Don't be silly. Your name is pretty, it suits you.''

_'Smooth Toushiro, very smooth.' _''Toushiro...'', she said quietly.

''Hmmm?'' His voice sounded tired too.

''Why won't you visit me tomorrow? We can talk then, that's more personal than over the phone.''

''...Sure. Bye, Momo.''

''Bye.''

She put the phone down and heaved another sigh. So she was the one who took the initiative, not him. Weird. Hinamori wanted to wait for him to ask her, but it became clear he was having a difficult time doing so. She never would have thought she'd be the one to suggest him to come over.

''Hinamori! I'm so proud of you!'' Matsumoto hugged the girl from behind with her strong arms.

''R-Rangiku-san. You're choking m-me!''. The poor girl was beginning to feel lightheaded from the lack of air.

''Whoops! Sorry!'' Matsumoto smiled with delight as she loosened the hug.

''Your embraces are deadly weapons.'', the raven-haired girl breathed. One more hug from the blonde and she's going to faint without doubt.

The other crossed her arms. ''That's mean! Guys would kill for a hug from me.''

''They would when you haven't killed them yourself with those... uhh.'' She could say curves, yes, that's sounds good to h-

''Breasts. They are called breasts, Hinamori. You have them too, just in a smaller form. A lot smaller.''

''S-Shut up! You're a special case!'' The younger girl's face was the same colour of a tomato now, but's it's true isn't it? Matsumoto was nineteen and had the looks of a twenty-four year old, which made it very easy for her to buy her beloved sake without raising any suspicions.

She placed her hands on her hips. ''You know what I hear? Excuses, blah, blah, excuses, blah, I wish I had the same cup-size as you, blah."

''RANGIKU-SAN!'' And with that yell the raven-haired girl drained the rest of her energy.

Matsumoto smacked the short girl on her back. ''No need to be abashed! Lots of women are envious of my girls.''

''I-I am not envious! Anyway, let's stop this talking about our chest. It's going nowhere.''

Too bad. She liked seeing Hinamori all embarrassed, finding it rather cute. ''...How about watching the last episode of 'Je ne t'aime pas?' Then we can move on to a new series.''

She agreed. ''Let's do that.''

They both melted into the couch, watching the television. After three years of watching this show it's kind of hard to let go, but it's also a way to start anew. Leaving the past and move forward to a new future. And with that they mean finding a new show to watch together as soon as possible, because of what was once mentioned before, television time with Matsumoto is sacred.

''Oh, we've missed 2/3 of the episode.'', Hinamori noticed. Not that she cared, the bet was over and she won.

''Meh, high chance it wasn't that important.'' Matsumoto also didn't care. It was mostly the bet that made her endure the terrrible plot of the show everyday. Why was it actually their favourite show? Oh right, the pairings.

''Is this a time-skip?'' The characters sure looked a bit different.

''...Yeah! Éliane is already married with Célistin. Aww.. they have a daughter. She really takes after her mother. Like a mini version of her!''

''Rangiku-san, that girl isn't her real daughter. Just a child actress.''

''Aaaah. Yeah, I knew that. I totally did.''

_''Moving is such a pain..'' Éliane wiped some sweat of her forehead._

_''What are you complaining about? I'm the one who's carrying all our stuff inside.'' Her husband gave her his 'are you kiddin' me' look._

_''Watching you is tiring.'' She stuck out her tongue._

_''How mature, don't do that when our daughter is around.''_

_''Yeah, yeah. Cerise! Give us a hand too!'', she yelled._

_A tall woman walked outside the house. ''I'm coming, geez.''_

_The younger sibling nudged her sister's elbow. ''How was your evening with Reynaud yesterday?' And with that I mean whether __you and Reynaud have a little... fun when he brought you home?''_

_"..."_

_''I KNEW IT!... So, was it kinky?''_

_''...Shut up.''_

''And now they're drinking wine.'', Hinamori said stating the obvious.

''Yeah. That ending was lamer than I predicted.'', the blonde said with a yawn.

They glided off the couch after turning off the television. Without a word, they went to the bathroom to brush their teeth.

''Do I have to leave you guys alone tomorrow?'', Matsumoto asked when she wiped her face dry with a towel.

''That would be nice.'', Hinamori replied. She enjoyed having the blonde around, but this is something she wanted to do without her.

''...You're pretty relaxed about this, after getting locked in his house against your will and spending the night in his garden.''

''It wasn't that bad. It was only one night and the bushes were rather comfy.'' Though it was comfy, she didn't really sleep well. She wished she could teleport to her bed without having to walk those obnoxious seventeen steps from the bathroom to her bedroom.

''So no hard feelings... at all''? She raised her eyebrow.

''You want me to dislike him? What kind of shipper are you?'' She asked back with a faint smile hoping she could dodge the question somehow.

''Just answer me.'' Oh dear. This was the serious Matsumoto.

''Neutral.'' A lie. Such a beautiful lie.

''Neutral? After knowing him for years?''

''We never socialized with each other, Rangiku-san. I disliked him without ever having a normal conversation with the guy. And even though I got to talk to Toushiro these past few days I still know too little about him to judge him, therefore I shall remain neutral.'' She was more lying to herself than to her friend. She couldn't expect herself to remain neutral after all what has happend, but she wanted to believe she could. She wanted to believe in this lie. This beautiful, beautiful lie.

Matsumoto beamed at the girl who was rubbing her eyes tiredly. She thought Hinamori was trying to give him a fair chance. The talk she and the young male were going to have would be the first step of whatever relationship they were going to have and the blonde hoped for the best.

''Good night, Rangiku-san.'', she turned the bathroom light off as they went to their own room.

''Sweet dreams, Hinamori.''

The raven-haired girl forced a smile. She was so sleepy and yet... she knew she wouldn't be able to have any sweet dreams tonight.

* * *

**My Thanks To:**

**leafpool5: That's fine :) Thank you for even suggesting things to me! :D**

**Vi ChaN91312: I'll answer your question in the next chapter :)**

**RecUnder: Thank you for your nice review! :D**

**Ninjaboy250: Next chapter shall make it clear :)**

**Guest: Ah, thank you! At first I was a bit afraid I might annoy people if I update too fast, but I'm glad that's not the case :D**

* * *

**One more chapter left and then this story's completed!**


	13. Chapter 13: The Last Day Of Spring Break

**Author's Note: At last, the final chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this story :) Thank you, those who enjoyed reading this! Or if you didn't enjoy it, but read it anyway, thank you too :) I think I didn't do _too_ bad for my first Fanfiction... I hope. **

**Disclaimer: I am afraid I haven't been completely honest when I said I didn't own Bleach. The truth is...[insert dramatic sound effect]... that the previous sentence was a lie. I really, really do not own Bleach in any way possible. Nor shall the rights ever be mine. *single tear***

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**Chapter 13 Day 7 The Last Day Of Spring Break**

"Oh... Hinamori!~"

The blonde singsonged the raven-haired girl's name as she took a peek in her room. She saw her short friend putting on her knitted cardigan over her maxi dress. ''Hmmm?''

Matsumoto pursed her lips. ''I wish you'd pick something more... uh, daring.''

Hinamori looked over her shoulders, making eye contact with the blonde. ''I'm afraid that's your department, not mine.'' She glanced at the older girl briefly. Matsumoto was wearing a short chiffon strapless dress with some lace appliques. Around her neck she wore her trademark golden necklace. It looked good on her, but then again, everything looked good on the beauty.

''How boring... Not even makeup? No lipgloss or blush?''

''No, I like to keep it natural... Besides, how am I supposed to apply makeup when there's none in this house. I know you don't use cosmetics either.''

''Good point.'' She spun around. ''Did he tell you how late he was gonna come?''

''He texted me that he'd arrive soon.'' Hinamori checked herself in the mirror. She smiled, satisfied with her outfit.

''Since when did you two exchange numbers?''

''You didn't give him my phone number?'', she asked surprised. When the blonde shook her head Hinamori became suspcious. _'That little...'_

''Zooooooooom.''

''I'll open the door.'', Matsumoto said as she made her way out of Hinamori's room.

The blonde hummed, opening the door. She greeted her friends who came to pick her up with a smile. ''Let's go.'' They all gave each other a look and then nodded, walking away from the apartment.

Kira sighed a little bummed. This was the last day of spring break and they haven't spent one single day together hanging out with the whole group as promised. They will have to make some time to do so next time they get the chance.

''Is he already there?'', Rukia asked the blonde, wrapping a light scarf around her neck.

''No, but he will be soon.'' They stepped into her car that Hisagi repaired for her. Hisagi, such a reliable young man, even more when it's Matsumoto asking him for favors.

Abarai gazed at the sky, it looks like it's going to rain soon. ''Are they going to be alright? Before spring break they never said a word to each other... Hinamori may be an easy person to befriend with, but I don-''

''Hush! They are going to be juuuuuuust fine! If they don't, I'll make sure they do. It's as simple as that.'' She clasped her seatbelt and started the engine.

Meanwhile, Hinamori poured some tea in her cup. The aroma of the drink alone made her relax into the couch. She wasn't tense or anything, just a bit exited and sleepy. Exited, because she had no clue what this talk will lead to. She also felt really drowsy, which worried her. Whenever she was sleep deprived she would act a little... strange. She just had to spend the whole night thinking of the various outcomes this talk could have, hadn't she?

The best possible outcome was them trying to become friends or good acquaintances... or people who just happen to know one another, saying 'hi' with a small wave and a nod when they pass by. Yeah, that could work too. Worst possible outcome was them declaring their hatred to each other and then try to make each other's life as miserable as possible, but that would be too immature and time consuming so... let's scrap that. The worst possible outcome would be... them igno- no, casting each other's presence into obscurity within the depths of their mind, the memories of the past few days they spent together fading away into oblivion... Since when did she become so dramatic? Oh dear, maybe she really is suffering from the lack of slee-

''Why are you always spacing out? Is it a habit or something?'' For the umpteenth time ever since the start of spring break she got interrupted, whether it was when she was talking or thinking.

''How did you get inside?'', Hinamori asked the white-haired boy.

''The door was open.''

''...Should have known.'' _'Rangiku-san, you...'_

He plopped into the couch, sitting next to her. ''I would offer you some snacks, but we don't have any so how about a cup of tea?'', she asked him. He declined by shaking his head.

''Let's just begin with the conversation." He wanted them to get to the point as fast as possible. Hinamori wasn't the only one who wanted to know where they stood with each other.

''Oh come on, let me act like a good host for once.'' She poured some tea in the other cup. He sighed as he watched the girl. She looked so calm and carefree. ''Theeere you go.''

''...Thanks.''

"You're welcome." She put the porcelain teapot down on the wooden table. Let's see. Tea? Check. Couch? Check. Hitsugaya? Check. So far so good. Now, for the actual conversation to commence she needed to know how to do that exactly. Talk about a light topic to start off perhaps? "How's the weather outside?"

"Cold.", he replied curtly.

...She did hope for an answer that consisted more than just one word. How about a question where he'll most likely give a longer respond? "Then why didn't you wear something warmer if it's cold outside?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

She frowned. "Toushiro, if you want us to have a nice conversation you should give me more than a shrug as an answer when I ask you something."

The young male leaned back into the couch and turned his head to her, somewhat annoyed. "I would if you'd actually talk about something I do care about. That and you suck at starting a conversation, I mean, really? The weather? Was that the best you could've come up with?"

_'Well, yeah.' _She knew she was asking too much, but she pictured them having a nice chat while drinking a cup of tea while laughing about everyday life like those people from that show she once saw on television, but Hitsugaya was having none of that. "Fine, then what do you care about?"

Somehow this made him even more annoyed. He sat up again and poked her right cheek repeatedly which in turn made her annoyed. "You're the one who invited me over. I assumed you already knew what you wanted to talk about." He poked her temple this time. "Don't tell me you wanted to do this totally unprepared."

He poked her harder and she slapped his hand away. "Of course I have something in mind that I want us to talk about!", she yelled a bit too hard. She was surprised how irritated she sounded, it even shocked Hitsugaya as he withdrew his hand. Great, they were only sitting here together for a few minutes and it already went unfavorably. They stared ahead of them in silence watching the television she forgot to turn off.

"I'm sorry.", he said quietly after a few seconds.

She merely glanced at him and managed to smile a little. "You're such a child."

This made him scowl at Hinamori.

"But I like that about you."

He remained silent, baffled. Did she just tell him she likes him, that she likes _that_ side of him?

Her eyes were focused on the television. The sound was completely turned off which made the two of them able to listen to the rain that was hitting the window. Ah, lovely rainy days. Contrary to belief, Hinamori preferred rainy days to sunny days. For some reason it always calmed her and lulled her to sleep. Feeling that her eyes were starting to get tired she closed them and then suddenly... She laughed. Not because she saw something funny on television before she closed her eyes, but because she felt like it. She laughed even louder when she saw Hitsugaya staring at her as if she'd lost her mind. With a grin she slapped his arm lightly. "Oh loosen up, will you? It's a compliment!"

Just what was she talking about? He then noticed the dark bags under her eyes. "Maybe it's a good idea if you rest a little. You're obviously not very awake right now."

That's an understatement. She could drop on the couch any moment and snooze away, but she refrained herself from doing so. He thought she was unprepared? He thought she had nothing she wanted to talk about? He thought she just wanted to drink a cup of tea with him? No!

"Oh Toushiro, silly Toushiro. I wanted you to explain to me why you seem to like me so much that you make irrational decisions such as refusing to let me go home that night and why your father wanted me to wear a hairclip disguised as a sensor, because normal people don't do those kind of things." She pointed at him. "And here you are looking at me as if _I'm_ not the normal one! Silly, silly Toushiro.", she spoke airily as she shook him by his shoulder sluggishly.

...That's it. She must be really tired. "Momo, we can talk another time. Why don't you sleep a little? It would do you good."

He wanted to stand up and search for a blanket, but she caught his wrist and pulled him down again forcefully. Their position changed as they were now sitting on the couch on their knees, facing each other. Hinamori's expression turned serious. "You know what, Toushiro? I've been pondering the whole night how I should feel about you. I told myself that I should remain neutral, but I can't. I just can't."

Hitsugaya was again bewildered by her sudden change of attitude. No matter, she's now talking about something he was interested in more than anything else. "Then what do you feel for me?"

Her mouth that was once a thin line now smiled again as she shook her head. She rested her hands on his shoulders and she spoke between giggles, "That's the thing! I'm on the verge of hating you and not hating you!" Her hold on his shoulders became tighter. "Just explain to me what I want to know, Toushiro. After hearing your explaination I should be able to decide which one it is."

He gulped, as crazy as she was acting right now he understood she was serious business. He better not mess this up. "I-"

"Be honest when you answer me. I'm not going to accept any lies."

He sighed while he looked at the girl. He put his hands on hers and took them away from his shoulders that she was gripping so hard that it started to hurt a little. She stared back at him with empty eyes. The word 'tired' was the only thing that came to his mind. She was so very tired of it all and he knew it. He clasped his hands with hers firmly and heaved a sigh once again.

"Remember Fujino, the woman who worked as the maid before you?", he asked as he tucked some of the loose strands of her hair behind her ears. She only nodded, not wanting to waste the rest of her energy to utter a 'yes'.

"There were also people who worked before her, but they were all slackers so I gave them a little bit of criticism. Which for some reason always ended in them being over sensitive and quitting their job."

Hinamori stared at him skeptically. His meaning for 'a little bit of criticism' was probably not so little at all. It wouldn't surprise her if he made some of them cry.

"My father was fed up with searching for new employees over and over again so he thought of a plan to give them a sensor. If the new maid wanted to quit and leave he would activate it, closing the front door and try to reason with her, saying that I didn't mean anything I said or apologize for my behaviour. Fujino didn't wear the sensor that day though, so she could storm off with no problems."

The raven-haired girl stayed silent. _'Was that the best method your father could come up with? Even his parents are nuts.' _After staring into his eyes she felt him let go of her hands and he glanced away from her for a second before looking back at her.

"Momo, I like you. I like you a lot."

She frowned. Yeah, that was already clear to her. She didn't want to hear him say that to her, she wanted him to tell her why.

Hitsugaya, as if he could read her thoughts, spoke again, "One day I will find someone who will love me for just the way I am. That's what you said to me, correct?"

"Yeah." Where was he going with this?

"I didn't believe you when you said that. Nobody would like me that way.", he whispered almost inaudibly.

"...What about your parents?"

He scoffed."My parents? They're the ones who told me to only act mature around other people. 'Try to be more of an adult', is what they told me everyday for the past ten years... So I did, just to please them. To please everybody."

Hinamori stared at the teapot. The tea's probably cold by now and it looks like it's raining harder outside. Hopefully Matsumoto brought an umbrella with her. "Then why are you such a brat when you're with me?"

"Because I overheard you talking to Matsumoto once. How you wouldn't treat me any differently than you would to any other classmate. It was the first time I heard someone say something like that and when you worked for us I wanted to use that opportunity. To find out how someone like you would react to me acting childishly."

Again, she didn't know where he was going with this and she grew impatient. She thought that he was straying too far from what she actually wanted to know. "Toushiro, just answer this question. Why do you like me?"

He barely managed to smile at her. "Because you told me you liked me for being such a child."

_'Toushiro...'_

"And when it comes down to it, that's what I really am. Just a child. A desperate little boy who needs someone to accept him for the way he is."

Hinamori felt her mind exploding. How could she respond to that? She assumed that once her questions were answered she would know whether she hated him or didn't hate him. But now... she couldn't even think straight anymore. That's when she felt being pulled into something warm and she embraced it or rather, she hugged him back. She patted his back instinctively as he held her tighter.

"Please don't hate me."

She stopped patting him. They stayed like that for a moment with the rain outside being the only sound that could be heard... until laughter filled the room. Hinamori's shoulder shook as she laughed loudly, "Oh Toushiro, silly Toushiro!" This abrupt happening made the white-haired male pull away and look at her worriedly. There were tears in her eyes, presumably from all the laughing she's doing right now. His worry immediately got replaced by shock as she cupped his face in her hands. "Being a desperate little boy doesn't justify trying to keep me locked inside your house, Toushiro." She yawned, "No, you're also a bit crazy, but that's okay. I feel like I'm also going crazy now."

Her studied her carefully. "How about if you lie down for a while to calm dow-"

"You don't want me to hate you.", she said as she interrupted him. Slowly she let her arms hang limply at her sides and she sighed, "I'm sorry. You're right, I need to calm down, but... please. Answer one more question, it's the last one, after that you can leave if you want to." Her eyes were half lidded. "What do you want me to feel about you?"

"I want..." This was such an easy question. "I want you to like me too. You don't have to like me romantically, you don't have to reciprocate my feelings. Accepting me for who I am is good enough, but you've confirmed you already did so... let's leave it like this. Nothing needs to be changed between us."

"No, Toushiro." She shook her head slowly. "That's not good enough for me. I don't want you to like someone romantically who doesn't like you back the same way."

He looked at her horrified, "You want me to stop liking you?"

She giggled, "As if that would be simple." She gave him a pet on his head and ruffled his spiky hair. "I won't hold you back if you want to try that though."

Hitsugaya stared at her with a very frustrated expression. He pulled her to him again, once his arms were securely wrapped around her figure he let himself fall backwards on the couch. Both of them were lying on the couch, listening to the rain once again.

"Toushi-"

"Shut up and take a nap."

She shook her head, she could take a nap any other time. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She clung onto him as she burried her face into his chest. "I'm the worst. The absolute worst."

"Momo, what the heck are you rambling about?"

"I want to hate you, I really do." She paused when she felt him tense up. "But I want to like you more than I want to hate you. I know, this doesn't make sense. I don't make sense.", she finished quietly.

Hitsugaya groaned. "I agree. That's why you need to rest and clear your mind. Now shut your eyes and sleep."

Hinamori eventually did as she was told. Darn it, this isn't how she hoped this conversation would go. Her friends once told her how weird she would act if she didn't get a good amount of sleep, so really, she should have seen this one coming. It's just that she was so relaxed earlier this day she thought her lack of sleep wouldn't get in the way and that she and Hitsugaya would talk things out and now... Now what? She wanted him to be the one apologizing to her, not the other way around. She wanted to loathe him, but she can't as she felt bad for him instead. He needed her, but she didn't believe she needed him. She wanted to need him. She has to need him. But how? How?

Suddenly she felt something soft and warm pressed on her lips. She opened her eyes to see a familiar teal colour staring right back at her. Did he just steal her... first kiss?

Hitsugaya ended their short-lived kiss with a sigh. "I told you to shut up. Geez, you're even rambling when you're napping. How does Matsumoto even put up with you?"

She could feel her face heat up. _'R-rambling? Was I thinking out loud?'_

"Yes, and you're still doing that in fact." He flicked her forehead which made her yelp. "Stop being a worrywart."

Hinamori grumbled some nonsense. "Was that kiss really necessary?"

"It was, but I wouldn't call it very effective. It made you only shut up for a few seconds." He didn't mind listening to the raven-haired girl. Her voice was pleasant for his ears, but he didn't find it very pleasant to hear her mumbling about how she wanted to loathe him, how she felt bad for him or how she didn't need him.

She wanted to scold him for being so rude to her, but the only thing that came out of her mouth were laughs. She laughed again as tears rolled down from her eyes. Hitsugaya got even more worried, these tears weren't from all the laughing. She was crying.

He rubbed her back up and down soothingly while he wiped her tears away with his other hand. So here she was, crying for no particular reason. How pathetic. What made her so emotional anyway? Oh right, herself. Her mind was making a mess when the matter at hand wasn't that complicated. He liked her and she didn't like him back the same way. Right? ...Right? She murmured, "I don't know. I ju-"

She felt his lips against hers again and this time she paid attention to it. Even welcomed it.

Did she like him that way?

She slowly parted her lips a little, leaning deeper into the kiss.

Did she?

A few seconds passed and he scraped her bottom lip with his teeth slightly when he pulled away.

She did. She needed him.

She leaned forward to kiss him again, stunning him in the process. It was just an innocent act, nothing special. Matsumoto told her that kisses could make one experience pure bliss, but Hinamori didn't. All she experienced was complete serenity.

Her mind was clear now, the situation became clear to her now. This white-haired male, Hitsugaya Toushiro, who was speechless at the moment truly liked her. All those other guys who confessed to her before didn't. Hinamori always told herself that she'd be content with just her friends and family. That romance was just a bother. What a fantastic lie. If he really was that crazy as she thought he was, why didn't he make use of this situation the moment he stepped inside? He's stronger than her and they both were aware of that. All he had to do was lock the doors and then do whatever he pleases next, but he didn't. However, she was also aware that he's too attached to her. Did she really want someone like that in her life? Or rather, should she reject someone who held those strong feelings for her when it's obvious that nobody else would ever be able to do so on the same level as he did? No, this wasn't the case of 'want' or 'should', there was no desire nor an option. Just necessity. He needed her... and she needed him as much as he did her.

The rain stopped and the beams of sunlight slowly shined through the windows, making the room less dark. The two were still lying on the couch and after regaining his ability to speak Hitsugaya asked, "Why?"

She smiled. At last she had finally found her answer. "Because I like you too."

They both understood what those words meant. They were the only ones capable to fulfill one another emotionally the way nobody else ever could. Neither could say 'I love you', because they weren't in love with each other. One week isn't enough for someone to find love, but it is enough for someone to like someone else. Though, Hitsugaya wasn't completely off the hook, he's the one who stole her first kiss just to shut her up and she wasn't planning to go easy on him because of that. No, she would have her revenge. So what did that make them? Strangers? Acquaintances? Friends?

"Say, Toushiro.", Hinamori spoke, preparing herself for what she's about to ask next.

"Yes, Momo?"

"Want to go on a date with with me?"

It'd be awkward to be friends since there's clearly some romance in the air, besides it wouldn't hurt to try to get to know each other better through dates. For that reason, Hinamori was willing to abandon her plan to stay single for the rest of her life.

He nodded and smiled softly but briefly. "...We don't have to tell Matsumoto, right?" He could practically hear the blonde squealling of exitement inside his head.

Hinamori nodded back without hesitation. "She'll find out sooner or later... Let it be later." She too could her the blonde squealling and giggling. "Why don't we watch some televion?"

"Sure, why not. Just not a soap opera."

"Yes, yes."

She switched trough some channels, searching for something worth watching while being embraced by him. Meanwhile, somewhere inside the Kuchiki residence Matsumoto began the feel a bit... euphoric for some reason. As if her OTP came true kind of euphoric. If she only knew.

**The end**

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**So... I hope I didn't disappoint anyone with this ending. This chapter was at first completely different, but I didn't like it so I rewrote the whole thing, wanting to spare you from the cheesiness. It's still pretty cheesy I think, but not as much as it was before. I'm also sorry for the fast pace... I wrote this on a rainy day at night and I was quite tired myself, so that may have affected this chapter.**

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**My Special Thanks To :**

**Recunder: Thank you so much! :D Oh, and I agree! There aren't enough complete HitsuHina stories!**

**leafpool5: Yes, it went pretty fast, didn't it? :) I hope you liked the story!**

**Vi Chan91312: Yeah, I think I'd be scared too now I think about it. But Hinamori was too tired to care anymore :)**

**snowflakesmcsl: Thank you very much! I hope this update was fast enough! :D**

**And my gratitude to Ninjaboy250, ann, gamma2015, Saxophone, Vascoas, vi91312(I'm pretty sure you're the same person as Vi Chan91312, but just in case if I'm wrong), DaJellySubstance, growl-growl and guest.**

**And of course everyone else who followed or favorited this story!**

**Have a wonderful day!**


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